Cornell men’s basketball fell 102-68 at Yale on Saturday afternoon at the John J. Lee Amphitheater as the Bulldogs used a dominant first half to pull away. Yale improved to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in Ivy League play, while Cornell slipped to 7-9 and 0-3 in conference action.
Yale seized control early and never trailed after the opening minutes, scoring 59 points before halftime. A decisive 30-6 run midway through the first half opened a double-digit gap that continued to grow as the Bulldogs shot better than 70 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Cornell went into the break trailing 59-36 after struggling to find consistency on the offensive end.
The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 60.9 percent from the floor and recorded 22 assists on 39 made baskets, committing just five turnovers. Nick Townsend led Yale with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Riley Fox added 21 points off the bench, while Isaac Celiscar posted 14 points and 10 assists.
Cornell was led by senior Cooper Noard, who scored 14 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, leaving him just 10 points shy of 1,000 for his career. Senior Jake Fiegen added nine points, and sophomore Mateen Rafiq scored eight off the bench. The Big Red connected on 11 3-pointers but shot just 25.6 percent from long range and 33.8 percent overall.
Cornell continues its road swing on Monday with an Ivy League matchup at Brown. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].