Cornell missed its final 13 attempts from 3-point range Thursday as Lehigh handed the Big Red a 71-64 loss at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Quinn Gibson and Jacob Beccles scored 13 points apiece for Cornell, which fell to 1-1 after briefly taking a second-half lead, according to Cornell Athletics.
Lehigh pulls ahead after Cornell erases deficit
The Big Red trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but tied the game at 44 on a Beccles three-point play and layup with 16:44 remaining.
A putback by Kaspar Sepp gave Cornell a 50-48 lead with 11:07 left, but that advantage lasted only 85 seconds.
Lehigh regained control with a 15-6 run, and Joshua Ingram put the Mountain Hawks ahead for good with 8:57 remaining.
Cornell went 7:16 without a field goal before Gibson ended the drought with 3:51 left, and Lehigh’s lead grew to 65-56 on a Jalen Vazquez layup with 3:09 to play.
The Big Red never closed within seven points after that basket.
Outside shots stop falling
Cornell finished 5-for-31 from 3-point range, including 1-for-14 in the second half, after making 14 of 29 in its season-opening win over Pepperdine.
Mateen Rafiq made Cornell’s final 3-pointer early in the second half, and the Big Red shot 36.5% from the field for the game.
Gibson’s 13 points were a career high in his second college game, and he added seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks while shooting 6-for-11.
Beccles made all five of his free throws, Anthony Nimani scored 10 points, and Alfredo Addesa grabbed nine rebounds, including six offensive boards, in nine minutes.
Edouard Benoit led Lehigh with 18 points and three 3-pointers, Ingram added 16 and Hank Alvey scored 14 as the Mountain Hawks also moved to 1-1.
Lehigh made 20 of 26 free throws, compared with Cornell’s 13-for-18.
Big Red returns home Sunday
An 11-0 Lehigh run turned an early 2-2 tie into a 13-2 lead, and Cornell trailed 39-32 at halftime after JJ Sanchez made two 3-pointers for his first Division I points and Rafiq hit from deep with 53 seconds left.
The loss ended Cornell’s 14-game winning streak against Patriot League opponents and gave Lehigh its first victory in the series since 2010.
Cornell still leads the all-time series 15-10 and next hosts Keuka at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at Newman Arena on ESPN+.
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