The unseasonably warm weather outside seemed to carry straight into Newman Arena on Friday night, where spirits were high, and anticipation buzzed long before tipoff.
With the clock nearly gone, the Ivy League’s first-place holder, Yale (21-5, Ivy 9-3) threatened to steal one late. Senior guard Jake Fiegan curled off of a handoff at the top of the key and buried a 3-pointer with just one second remaining, lifting Cornell (14-12, 7-6 Ivy) to a stunning 72-69 victory over the Bulldogs. The buzzer-beater, Cornell’s 14th three of the night, capped a tense Ivy League battle that swung sharply in the final minutes and sent the home crowd spilling into celebration.
For much of the evening, Cornell controlled the tone. The Red dictated the pace early in the game and leaned heavily on its perimeter shooting, knocking down nine first-half 3-pointers to build a 35-30 lead at the break. Senior guard Cooper Noard connected four times from deep before halftime, while Fiegan and senior guard Josh Baldwin added two apiece, helping Cornell stretch the defense and create space offensively.
The energy carried into the second half, where the Red briefly appeared to seize full command. Back-to-back threes from senior guard Adam Hinton extended the lead to double digits, and Baldwin’s triple moments later pushed the margin to 48-35 —- the Red’s largest of the night.
But Yale, efficient and patient, refused to fade.
The Bulldogs began to chip away behind interior scoring and transition opportunities, steadily erasing the deficit as the game tightened into a possession-by-possession fight. Casey Simmons and Isaac Celiscar sparked the push, combining for key buckets during a mid-half surge that trimmed Cornell’s once comfortable lead to only two points.
As the final minutes ticked down, the momentum fully shifted. Yale’s physical presence inside allowed them to secure 42 points from the paint. Its shooting also saw a surge to nearly 63 percent in the second half. A pair of late layups brought the visitors even closer before Nick Townsend drove through traffic to tie the game at 69 with only seven seconds remaining.
What followed was a decision based on trust and composure.
Rather than call a timeout, the Red pushed the ball up the floor, allowing the moment to unfold organically. Baldwin met Fiegan at the top of the arc for a handoff, and the senior rose into rhythm without hesitation. His shot, clean off the release, dropped through the net as the arena erupted with cheers and screams, capping a performance that saw him finish with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Yale still had one last chance, but the Red’s defense held firm. A tipped pass on the inbound disrupted the Bulldog’s final look, and Trevor Mullin’s contested attempt fell short as time expired, sealing the upset.
The win was fueled by balance across the lineup. Noard added 16 points and four 3-pointers, Baldwin contributed 13 points and four assists, and Hinton chipped in 11 points. Sophomore guard Anthony Nimani provided a spark off the bench with 12 points as Cornell placed five players in double figures.
Beyond the final shot, the Red made its mark in the margins. Cornell outrebounded Yale 31-28 and generated 12 second-chance points, a reflection of the crisp ball movement that helped build its early cushion. The Red also converted 15 points off turnovers, offsetting Yale’s inside production.
Townsend led Yale with 14 points and five assists, with Simmons and Celiscar each adding 14 points to the Bulldogs’ comeback effort.
This victory pushed the Red further into solidifying its spot in Ivy Madness, thanks to results elsewhere in the league. It placed the Red into sole possession of fourth place and the final Ivy Madness spot with two games remaining in Ivy League conference play.
While this was undoubtedly the biggest win of the Red’s season, it did not have time to sit back and relax. Less than 24 hours after leaving Newman Arena, the Red were back on the court looking to punch its ticket to Ivy Madness.
The Red needed three things to happen Saturday night to punch its ticket as the final qualifier to Ivy Madness: Columbia must lose to Yale, Dartmouth fall to Princeton and Cornell to triumph over Brown.
Luckily for the Red, that trifecta is exactly what happened.
The Red bested Brown (9-17, 3-10 Ivy), 86-80, in a back-and-forth affair once again in Newman Arena, clinching its fifth consecutive trip to Ivy Madness.
Less than 24 hours after Fiegen buried a game-winning three against Yale, Newman Arena was buzzing again. A packed senior night crowd honored its six departing seniors before tipoff in its final home game of the regular season.
The first half was a tight battle for all 20 minutes. Both teams traded baskets, with neither side building more than a seven-point cushion.
When halftime finally came, Cornell held a narrow one point edge, 46-45.
About three minutes into the second half, Cornell began to create separation. Trailing 49-48 with just over 17 minutes remaining, the Red erupted for a 11-0 scoring run over the next six-minutes to seize a double-digit advantage.
In the closing minutes of the game, Cornell strung together a few key defensive stops and followed them with patient offensive possessions. The Red moved the ball, cut through the lane, and worked to break down the defense while creating good looks on offense.
Cornell later extended its lead to a game-high 14 points and held on for a gritty 86-80 victory.
After the game was over, the court’s intercom addressed the fans of the results of the other matchups from around the Ivy League.
“They announced it over the PA [Public Address],” said head coach Jon Jaques ’10. “Yeah, we were all excited, went down to the locker room and just enjoyed the moment.”
Noard, who averages the most points on the team (18.8), led the charge with 30 points — his second-highest total of the season, his highest came in the season opener against Kent State when he scored 34 points. Noard’s 30 points against Brown also marked his best scoring performance in Ivy League play. He knocked down six of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc and converted all six of his free throws.
“He’s such a tough shot maker,” Jaques said. “Cooper just has a knack for getting [his shot] off, his release is high, and he knows how to create space. That's what he's been doing his whole career. He just drills threes. Cooper making shots kind of kept us in the game and then everyone else picked it up.”
After his standout performance, Noard reflected on what clinching Ivy Madness means to him and his teammates.
“It’s a dream come true and I’m super proud of this group.” Noard wrote in a statement to The Sun. “It’s truly a testament to the work that we’ve put in as a team this year and how resilient we are. I can speak for the whole team when I say that we’re super excited to represent Cornell in front of our community at Ivy Madness in two weeks. Blessed and honored to be a part of this team and there’s no place else I’d rather be.”
Junior guard Jacob Beccles, known primarily for his defense and team-leading 1.1 steals per game, delivered a breakthrough offensive performance. Beccles secured 17 points, hitting three of four from deep and matching Noard by going a perfect 6-for-6 at the line. Beccles also grabbed five rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.
Fiegen, the hero of the game against Yale the night before, contributed 16 points, five rebounds and a team-leading three steals. His scoring performance marked his 10th straight game in double figures, including two 20-point outings and a 30-point effort in that stretch.
“Jake, he's become such a versatile scorer,” Jaques said. “He’s obviously a very good shooter, but he's so strong, relentless and competitive. He wills his way to create opportunities, driving and finishing.”
After opening conference play with a shaky 0-3 start, Cornell steadied itself, winning its next three in a row and seven of its final 10 Ivy League contests. Jaques acknowledged the early defensive concerns but credited his group for buying into adjustments and embracing the style the coaching staff wanted to see.
Knowing that the Yale and Brown games could shape their Ivy Madness chances, the squad played in front of one of the most electric crowds of the season. Jaques said the team fed off that energy.
“[The crowd] impacts a lot, it makes a huge difference,” he said. “The energy the whole weekend was amazing. I thought Friday night was great. I think the athletic department did a great job, rallying the troops and getting students in the town out.”
While there was plenty to celebrate, Jaques also stressed the need for continued improvement heading into the final regular season game and Ivy Madness.
“You can always improve,” Jaques said. “We want to keep figuring out the best way for us to score, playing with pace but also being patient in certain moments, moving the ball.”
The Red will face Dartmouth at 2 p.m. on March 7, for its regular-season finale, before turning its attention to Ivy Madness, where it is set to face the top-seeded Yale Bulldogs at Newman Arena.
The regular-season finale will stream on ESPN+, with Ivy Madness set for March 14 to 15.
“We're really proud to host it and obviously be in it,” Jaques said. “It's an amazing opportunity, but clearly doesn't guarantee anything. Yale, Harvard [and] Penn, they're all great teams and are playing very well. I think it'll be a really cool showcase on a national stage for the league.”
Austin Curtis is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a Sun Staff Writer and can be reached at acurtis@cornellsun.com.
Sureya Lopez is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the sports department and can be reached at slopez@cornellsun.com.
