Cornell men’s basketball earned an 88-67 Ivy League road victory over Columbia on Saturday afternoon at Levien Gymnasium, using balanced scoring, strong rebounding and defensive pressure to secure its fourth win in the last five games.
Senior Josh Baldwin led the Big Red with a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double, shooting 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. Adam Hinton added 13 points, while Cooper Noard and Jake Fiegen scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. Fiegen also contributed five rebounds and five assists as Cornell improved to 11-10 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
Cornell turned a competitive opening stretch into separation late in the first half, building a 42-32 lead at the break after shooting better than 58 percent from the field and converting all 13 first-half free throws. The Big Red extended the advantage early in the second half with a defensive-fueled run, pushing the lead into double digits and eventually as high as 26 points.
The visitors finished the game shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 22-of-24 at the foul line while assisting on 25-of-30 made baskets. Cornell also outrebounded Columbia 35-25 and forced 15 turnovers, converting them into 26 points.
Kenny Noland led Columbia with 21 points, while Connor Igoe added 13 for the Lions, who dropped to 14-8 overall and 3-5 in Ivy League play.
Cornell returns to action Friday, February 13, traveling to Princeton for a 7 p.m. matchup.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
