Cornell’s bench scored 60 points and the Big Red made 17 3-pointers in a 99-59 men’s basketball win over Keuka on Sunday at Newman Arena in Ithaca.
Cornell improved to 2-1, bouncing back from Thursday’s loss at Lehigh. The game was an exhibition for Division III Keuka, which was playing for the first time this season after winning the Empire 8 Tournament and reaching the NCAA tournament last season.
Gibson and Abalos lead a deep rotation
Quinn Gibson recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, five on the offensive end. Jax Abalos led Cornell with a career-high 13 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the floor and 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
Gibson collected his double-double in 17 minutes. Cornell used 16 players, 14 of whom scored, and no one played more than 17 minutes. The Big Red’s reserves outscored Keuka’s bench 60-18.
Ten Cornell players made at least one 3-pointer as the Big Red shot 17-for-41 from beyond the arc, about 42%. The 17 makes tied for 12th on the program’s single-game list. Cornell also had 22 assists on 31 baskets.
Fast starts build a wire-to-wire lead
Gibson scored the first four points, and a Kaspar Sepp 3-pointer completed a 10-2 opening run. Ryan Burbach and Mateen Rafiq each made an early 3 as Cornell pushed its advantage to 16-5. Burbach later added another on his way to nine first-half points.
Abalos hit two 3-pointers within two minutes midway through the first half. Jacob Beccles added a 3, a layup and two free throws as Cornell built a 44-25 lead. Keuka’s Anthony Collins made two 3-pointers in the final 39 seconds, including one at the buzzer, to cut the halftime deficit to 46-31.
Cornell opened the second half with 11 unanswered points. Rafiq converted a four-point play, Gibson scored on a layup and a breakaway dunk, and Sepp made another 3-pointer to extend the lead to 57-31.
Blake Lecklitner scored his first career points on a jumper with 12:36 remaining. He, Gio Panzini, JJ Sanchez and Luke Kennevan each made a 3 during a 12-0 run that gave Cornell its largest lead, 90-44, with 8:10 left. Trey Williams finished the scoring in his Cornell debut with a backcourt steal and a dunk.
Career highs and first points fill the box score
Burbach finished with career highs of nine points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Rafiq also scored nine, while Sanchez and Kennevan each scored a career-high eight. Beccles added seven.
Lecklitner, who missed the 2025-26 season with an injury, finished with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Elijah Griffin made a 3 for his first career points and added two assists in his Cornell debut. Williams had two points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Carson Davis also made his Cornell debut.
Gibson surpassed his previous rebounding high of eight against Pepperdine in the season opener and has led Cornell on the boards in all three games. Abalos exceeded his previous highs of 10 points and two 3-pointers against Alfred State on Jan. 2. Sanchez had scored six at Lehigh, while Kennevan’s previous Division I high was three in that game.
Cornell outrebounded Keuka 52-36 and held the Wolves to 34% shooting, including 4-for-26 from 3-point range. Kaleb Nutifafa led Keuka with 17 points. Collins and Makya Morrison scored eight apiece.
St. Bonaventure awaits Wednesday
The victory extended Cornell’s winning streak against non-Division I opponents to 39 games over 33 years. The Big Red is 5-0 in those games under coach Jon Jaques, 3-0 all-time against Keuka and 49-15 at Newman Arena since the start of the 2021-22 season.
Cornell has made a 3-pointer in 1,031 consecutive games. Sunday was the fourth time in the past three seasons that at least 10 Big Red players made one in the same game.
Cornell visits Atlantic 10 opponent St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Reilly Center in Olean. The game will stream on ESPN+. Cornell leads the series 8-7, but the Bonnies have won the past four meetings. The Big Red’s most recent victory was 58-54 in Olean on Dec. 4, 2004.
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