Cornell will try to earn its first road win of the season and end a four-game losing streak against St. Bonaventure when the men’s basketball teams meet Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Reilly Center.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m., with the game streaming on ESPN+. The Big Red enter at 2-1 after Sunday’s 99-59 home victory over Keuka, while the Bonnies are 1-1.
Cornell seeks to end Bonnies’ series streak
The Big Red hold an 8-7 lead in the series, but St. Bonaventure has won the past four meetings. A Cornell victory would also be its first against a current Atlantic 10 opponent since a 78-73 win at Fordham on Nov. 11, 2023.
Cornell is 2-0 at home this season. Its lone road game ended in a 71-64 loss at Lehigh, the defending Patriot League champion and an NCAA Tournament qualifier. The Big Red opened with an 86-85 victory over Pepperdine.
Wednesday’s game gives Cornell a chance to improve to 3-1 and continue a run of road success that stretches back to last season. The Big Red have won five of their past seven road games and are 22-28 all-time against current Atlantic 10 programs.
Young rotation spreads the scoring
Cornell’s depth showed against Division III Keuka, a 2026 NCAA Tournament participant. Eleven players scored at least six points, the bench supplied 60 points and the Big Red finished with 22 assists. Ten players made a 3-pointer, combining for 17.
Freshman Quinn Gibson recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He has led Cornell in rebounding in each of its first three games, surpassing his previous best of eight against Pepperdine.
Sophomore Jax Abalos set career highs in points and 3-pointers, exceeding his previous marks of 10 points and two 3s against Alfred State last January. Sophomores Luke Kennevan and JJ Sanchez scored eight points apiece, each improving on his Division I scoring high from the Lehigh game.
Blake Lecklitner scored his first nine career points after missing the 2025-26 season with an injury. Freshmen Trey Williams and Carson Davis and sophomore Elijah Griffin made their Cornell debuts; Williams and Griffin also scored their first collegiate points.
The performance continued Cornell’s use of a broad rotation. Last season, 12 players averaged at least 3.4 points and 9.7 minutes, and the team leader averaged 27.6 minutes. No Cornell player has averaged 30 minutes in a season since 2019-20, and the Big Red frequently substitute three or five players together.
Fast offense returns with a new cast
Third-year coach Jon Jaques has one returning starter and eight returning letter winners from a team that finished 15-13 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League, good for fourth place. Cornell was picked fifth in this season’s Ivy preseason poll as it pursues a sixth consecutive appearance in the four-team conference tournament.
The roster turnover includes graduates Jake Fiegen, now at Villanova; Cooper Noard, now at Samford; and Josh Baldwin, now at William & Mary. The Ivy League does not allow graduate students to compete. Adam Hinton was the first overall selection in Taiwan’s draft by the Kaohsiung Aquas.
The offensive approach remains built around pace, passing and perimeter shooting. Cornell has finished among the nation’s eight fastest teams in offensive pace, the top four in 3-pointers per game, the top 10 in assists and the top 20 in scoring in each of the past five seasons.
Last season, the Big Red led the nation with 21.3 assists and 12.9 3-pointers per game. Their 362 made 3s and 596 assists set both school and Ivy League records. Cornell also ranked sixth nationally in scoring at 88.5 points per game and in 3-point percentage at 39.3%.
Cornell scored at least 80 points in 22 of 28 games last season and made at least 10 3-pointers in 22 games. It has reached both marks twice in its first three games this season. Across its past 38 games, the Big Red have made 496 of 1,260 attempts from beyond the arc, a 39.4% rate and an average of 13.1 makes per game.
There has also been an early change on defense. Opponents are shooting 38.5% overall and 25% from 3-point range, making 19 of 76 attempts. Last season, opponents shot 47.7% overall and 37.2% from outside.
After Wednesday, Cornell returns to Newman Arena to face UNC Greensboro at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, on ESPN+. The teams have split their two previous meetings and have not played since 1991.
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