Ivy League Basketball Roundup: 12/6/2014
Below is the Ivy League Basketball Roundup for Saturday, December 6, 2014. Seven Ivy League teams played – Penn, Dartmouth, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, and Brown. Each game recap is below.
Penn Beats Binghamton; Wins Second Straight Road Game
After starting the season 0-5, Penn has now won back-to-back games with both coming on the road. On Saturday, it was a total team effort to get the 79-70 win over Binghamton. Six scorers finished in double figures for the Quakers.
It took a while for both teams to get going. Penn held a slim 6-2 lead at the first TV timeout, but eventually hit four buckets in a row and went up 16-5 forcing Binghamton to take a timeout. Following the timeout, both teams continued to shoot the ball well. Penn went up 27-16, but Binghamton ripped off an 11-3 run to make it 30-27 in favor of the Quakers. Going into halftime, Penn continued to hold on to the lead and took a 40-34 into the break.
The second half was much like the the first half with Binghamton hanging around. Penn went up 48-41, but Binghamton closed it down to a 50-47 ball game. Penn went up 59-52 before a Binghamton push made it 61-59. It was not until late in the game that Penn was able to get a bit of a cushion and went on to win 79-70.
Tony Hicks led Penn with 18 points on 5 of 8 shooting and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Darien Nelson-Henry had 16 points and 9 rebounds as well as 3 blocks. Three players – Darnell Foreman, Sam Jones, and Antonio Woods – had 11 points while Foreman also had 8 rebounds. Matt Howard finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds. The Quakers shot 26 of 51 from the field (51%) and hit 9 of 19 three pointers (47.4%). They went 18 of 26 from the charity stripe (69.2%) and smashed Binghamton on the glass 43-30. They had 15 assists and committed 18 turnovers.
Binghamton was led by 16 points from Dusan Perovic. Willie Rodriguez had a solid game scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Rodriguez went 4 of 14 from the field and hit only 4 of 9 free throws. Romello Walker scored 12 points as well for the Bearcats. Binghamton went 21 of 59 from the field (35.6%) and hit 11 of 29 three pointers (37.9%). The Bearcats went 17 of 26 from the free throw line (65.4%) and committed 10 turnovers.
Penn (2-5) has a home game on Tuesday night against Marist (1-6). Binghamton (1-8) faces Caldwell University on Monday night.
Dartmouth Crushes Maine
Dartmouth was dominant in all phases of the game in their 74-51 over Maine. Alex Mitola scored 18 points and hit 4 three pointers to lead the Big Green.
Dartmouth took the lead to start the game and just continuously built it up. By the first TV timeout, Dartmouth led 9-4 and made it 20-11 after 5 quick points from Kevin Crescenzi with 8:32 left in the first half. About a minute later, Crescenzi hit a three pointer and the lead was at double digits, 23-13, at the under 8 TV timeout. The Big Green lead continued to hang around 10 points with Alex Mitola’s late layup making it 40-29 at the break.
Early in the second half Maine cut the deficit to as low as 6 points at 44-38 with 15 minutes left play, but Dartmouth would step up on offense and defense to put the game away. The Big Green went on a 24-4 over the next 12 minutes to take a 68-42 lead. Maine continued to struggle from the field and Dartmouth finished the game off to grab their second win of the season.
Troy Ried-Knight led Maine with 11 points and also grabbed 5 rebounds. Till Gloger had 8 points and Christian Ejiga scored 8 points and grabbed 8 boards. The Black Bears went 16 of 50 from the field (32%) and hit only 2 of 21 three pointers (9.5%). They went 17 of 23 from the free throw line (73.9%) and committed 15 turnovers.
Alex Mitola had 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Connor Boehm finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 7 of 9 from the field. Taylor Johnson and Kevin Crescenzi both finished with 9 points while Crescenzi had 5 rebounds. Gabas Maldunas finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds. Dartmouth went 26 of 53 from the field (49.1%) and hit 9 of 22 three pointers (40.9%). The Big Green went 13 of 21 from the charity stripe (61.9%), out-rebounded Maine 41 to 31, had 10 steals, and committed 13 turnovers.
Maine (1-6) faces Long Island-Brooklyn (0-6) on Tuesday evening at home. Dartmouth (2-4) faces UMass Lowell (6-3) Wednesday night on the road.
Princeton Overcomes Second Half Deficit To Beat Stony Brook
Steven Cook had 28 points and 7 steals to lead Princeton past Stony Brook 77-64 on Saturday. Princeton had to overcome a deficit in the second half to get the victory.
Stony Brook started fast taking a 9-2 lead early before the Tigers went on a 14-4 run to take a 16-13 lead midway through the first half. Both teams continued to battle and 6 points from Cook in a two and a half minute span kept Princeton close at a 24-23 deficit. A late surge by Princeton gave them a 38-36 lead at the halftime break.
The second half started with both teams continuing to battle away. Midway through the second half Stony Brook led 55-46 before an 11-0 run by Princeton gave them a 57-55 lead. Stony Brook tied it at 57 on two free throws from Rayshaun McGrew, but Princeton went on a 20-7 run to end the game including hitting all 8 of their free throws in the final 75 seconds.
Stony Brook was led by Rayshaun McGrew with a double-double. He scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting and also grabbed 10 rebounds. He was not the only player to record a double-double. Jameel Warney had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Seawolves. As a team, Stony Brook went 24 of 54 from the field (44.4%) and hit 5 of 17 three pointers (29.4%). They made 11 of 17 free throws (64.7%) and crushed Princeton on the glass 37 to 24. They committed 23 turnovers in the loss as well.
Steven Cook scored 28 points on 8 of 12 shooting and he went 5 of 7 on three pointers. He hit 7 of 9 free throws, had 7 steals, and grabbed 4 rebounds. Clay Wilson contributed 13 points off the bench. Pete Miller scored 12 points and Hans Brase scored 11 points and grabbed 9 boards. The Tigers went 23 of 49 from the field (46.9%) and hit 12 of 26 three pointers (46.2%). They went 19 of 25 from the free throw line (76%), had 18 assists, 14 steals, and committed 13 turnovers.
Stony Brook (5-4) does not play for a week and they face Providence (6-2) on the road next Saturday. Princeton (3-6) has won 2 of their last 3 games and plays St. Peter’s (3-6) Wednesday on the road.
Cornell Extends Win Streak To Three With Win Over UMass Lowell
18 points apiece from Shonn Miller and Robert Hatter led Cornell to a 71-60 over UMass Lowell.
Neither team was able to assert their dominance early on. UMass Lowell led 7-4 before a 9-2 run by Cornell gave them a 13-9 lead. That did not last long with the River Hawks coming back to take a 16-15 lead, but another run from Cornell allowed them to take a 23-18 lead. Cornell would hold on to the lead at break with a slim 27-25 margin.
Chad Holley hit a three pointer for the River Hawks to tie the game at 30, but an 18-4 from Cornell gave them a 48-34 lead. That run featured 9 points from Robert Hatter on two threes and three free throws after he was fouled on a shot from beyond the arc. Cornell continued to build the lead including margins of 63-46 and 71-53 before UMass Lowell ended on a 7-0 run. That run, however, was too little and far too late.
The River Hawks were led by 18 points from Marcos Banegas-Flores on 5 of 8 shooting. Chad Holley had 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting while also going 4 of 5 from the perimeter. Lance Crawford chipped in 10 points off the bench. UMass Lowell went 21 of 53 from the field (39.6%) and hit 9 of 24 three pointers (37.5%). They hit 9 of 10 free throws and committed 10 turnovers.
Shonn Miller scored 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting and grabbed 5 rebounds. Robert Hatter also scored 18 points, but did so on 5 of 12 shooting and was 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. Galal Cancer played a great supporting role scoring 8 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and having 8 assists. The Big Red went 24 of 48 from the field (50%) and hit 10 of 21 three pointers (47.6%) to spark their offense. They made all 13 free throws, won the battle on the glass 31-26, had 16 assists, 7 steals, and blocked 6 shots. Cornell did commit 18 turnovers.
UMass Lowell (6-3) faces Dartmouth (2-4) Wednesday evening at home. Cornell (5-4) does not play again until Sunday, December 21 when they face Radford (4-3) on the road.
Columbia’s Defense Too Much In Blowout
Columbia produced another impressive defensive performance on Saturday to improve to 4-2. They beat Bucknell 62-39 while Maodo Lo scored 20 points.
Bucknell led 2-0 very early on, but that would be the last time they held a lead for the rest of the game. Lo hit a three pointer to make it 3-2 Columbia and the Lions eventually led 11-2 before a Bucknell timeout. The lead got up to 14-2 on another Lo three pointer, but the Bison worked their way back into the game, albeit at a slow pace. With less than 5 minutes remaining in the first half, Bucknell trailed 16-13. Another Maodo Lo three pointer in the final minute made it a 24-18 lead for Columbia at halftime.
The second began with Columbia surging to a double digit lead once more with a 10-3 early. By the second TV timeout Columbia led 39-25. The Lions continued to play suffocating defense all the way to the end of the game. They allowed only 10 points in the final 10 minutes on their way to the 62-39 victory.
Not a single Bucknell player managed to score in double figures. Chris Hass led the Bison with 9 points on 4 of 7 shooting. Ben Oberfeld had 7 points and 3 rebounds off the bench. The Bison went 15 of 52 from the field (28.8%) and hit only 2 of 15 three pointers (13.3%). They made 7 of 11 free throws (63.6%) and committed only 9 turnovers.
Maodo Lo led Columbia with 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Cory Osetkowski finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds while also recording 6 assists. The Lions went 22 of 49 from the field (44.9%) and hit 10 of 22 three pointers (45.5%). They connected on 8 of 10 free throws, had 15 assists, blocked 8 shots, and committed only 8 turnovers. Neither team had an advantage in rebounds, as both finished with 33.
Bucknell (3-6) faces Albany (2-5) Monday night. Columbia (5-2) now goes on the road to face the top ranked Kentucky Wildcats (8-0) Wednesday evening.
Harvard Needs Double Overtime To Top Vermont
Wesley Saunders scored 25 points and Harvard outscored Vermont 14-2 in the second overtime to win 64-52 on Saturday.
Harvard was in for a battle from the get-go as Vermont jumped out to an 8-4 lead. It became 13-5 a minute later, but the Crimson closed it down to a 13-10 lead. The Catamounts went up 20-12 after Ryan Pierson’s bucket before two three pointers brought Harvard back within two at 20-18. Both teams continued to struggle from the field as Vermont took a 24-21 lead at halftime.
Harvard took the lead early in the second half before a quick response by Vermont’s Kurt Steidl made it 27-26. There was some controversy on Steidl’s next shot when he hit a three pointer that was a two-pointer, but a scoring error made kept it at a three. In the end it would not matter, but at the time and through the end of regulation, it certainly did. Siyani Chambers‘ three pointer with 1:06 remaining tied the game at 44 before misses by Vermont’s Cam Ward and Harvard’s Steve Moundou-Missi left the game tied at 44 to end regulation.
The first overtime was a slow moving affair in terms of scoring. Late in the overtime, Corbin Miller hit a three pointer to tie the game at 50 before an odd sequence of events led to a second overtime. First, Moundou-Missi threw the ball across the court to no one in particular to give Vermont the ball under Harvard’s basket. Then came a poor play by Vermont’s Trae Bell-Haynes.
In the second overtime, Harvard took the lead 19 seconds in on a three pointer Corbin Miller and never looked back. Vermont made a bucket 52 seconds in, but that was it for them. Harvard won 64-52 after out-scoring Vermont 14-2.
Wesley Saunders had 25 points on 7 of 12 shooting and hit 10 of 13 free throws while also grabbing 6 rebounds. Corbin Miller finished with 14 points while Siyani Chambers scored 13 points. Steve Moundou-Missi had a tough game shooting going 2 of 12 from the field for 8 points. However, he was dominant around the rim with 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. The Crimson went 19 of 54 from the field (35.2%) and hit 7 of 19 three pointers (36.8%). They made 19 of 30 free throws (63.3%), but were out-rebounded 44-40 by Vermont. The Crimson recorded 14 steals, blocked 10 shots (5 from Kenyatta Smith), and committed 14 turnovers.
Vermont was led by Hector Harold’s 12 points and 8 rebounds. Kurt Steidl had 11 points and 6 rebounds while Ethan O’Day finished with 10 points. The Catamounts went 18 of 59 from the field (30.5%) and hit 7 of 19 three pointers (36.8%). They went 9 of 17 from the free throw line (52.9%), had 12 assists, and committed 17 turnovers.
Harvard (6-1) is on a 5 game win streak and faces Boston U (2-5) Monday night before an extended 13 day break. Vermont (4-4) does not play again until Sunday, December 14 when they face Wagner (2-5).
Brown Wins Third Game In Last Four Behind Cedric Kuakumensah’s 20-15 Game
Cedric Kuakumensah scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Brown to a 69-62 win over Bryant.
The scoring got off to a slow start between the two teams. After 5 minutes, Bryant held a 5-4 lead before the scoring picked up over the next 5 minutes. Bryant led by 6 at 17-11 before a Tavon Blackmon jumper made it 17-13. With over 5 left in the first half, Cedric Kuakumensah made a bucket to cut the deficit to 26-25. Back-to-back buckets from Jason Massey and Leland King gave Brown their first lead at 29-28 since they led 4-2. Brown ultimately ended on a 16-3 run to end the first half up 41-30 at the break.
The second half got off to a good start for Brown extending their lead to 45-30 after two minutes of play. Bryant made it a 54-45 game in favor of Brown and would slowly try to chip away at the lead. It would not be until the final few minutes before they got close, but Bryant did well to provide some nervous moments. A three pointer from Dyami Starks made it 65-60 with 32 seconds left before two free throws from Steven Spieth pushed the lead back up to 7 points. Another quick bucket from Bryant and another pair of free throws sealed the game for Brown.
Dyami Starks scored 16 points on only 5 of 18 shooting and hit 3 of 13 three pointers. Hunter Ware scored 11 points while Gus Riley also had 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. The Bulldogs went 21 of 64 from the field (32.8%) and hit 7 of 29 three pointers (24.1%). Bryant went 13 of 17 from the free throw line, had 7 steals, blocked 7 shots, and committed 8 turnovers.
Brown was led by Cedric Kuakumensah’s 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Steven Spieth finished with 12 points thanks to his 8 of 8 shooting from the free throw line. Tavon Blackmon and Leland King both had 11 points. The Bears hit 21 of 52 from the field (40.4%) and made only 3 of 13 three pointers (23.1%). They hit 24 of 31 free throws (77.4%), out-rebounded Bryant 47 to 32, blocked 8 shots, and committed 13 turnovers.
Bryant (1-5) faces Army (6-1) Tuesday night on the road. Brown (4-6) faces Providence (6-2) Monday night on the road.