Cornell men’s basketball erased a 16-point first-half deficit and closed strong for an 86-79 Ivy League road victory over Harvard on Saturday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion. The win improved Cornell to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play, while Harvard slipped to 10-9 and 3-2.
Senior Adam Hinton delivered a game-high 27 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor and 6-of-9 from three-point range. He hit the go-ahead three with under a minute remaining and added late free throws to seal the comeback. Hinton also finished with five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Cooper Noard added 19 points, and Jake Fiegen contributed 15 points, four assists and four rebounds.
Cornell trailed 44-36 at halftime after Harvard shot nearly 55% in the opening 20 minutes. The Big Red flipped the game early in the second half with an 18-0 run, tightening defensively and pushing the tempo. Cornell shot 68.2% after the break and finished at 52.9% for the game, connecting on 11 three-pointers while committing just 11 turnovers. Kaspar Sepp posted a game-high nine rebounds and added four assists as Cornell held a 30-27 edge on the glass.
Harvard placed five players in double figures, led by Robert Hinton with 19 points and Tey Barbour with 18. Cornell’s defense held the Crimson to 37.5% shooting in the second half and closed the game by converting 21-of-26 free throws.
Cornell returns home Friday, January 30, hosting Princeton at Newman Arena with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].