Robert Hatter Leads Men's Basketball to Comeback Victory Over Siena
By
Troy Bridson
· Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015
![With one second left in the game, the Cornell sprint football team held a 17--13 lead over Pennsylvania. With one second left, the Red crowded the sidelines ready to rush the field in celebration of an upset beyond comprehension. With one second left, Penn literally shook in its pants, unwilling to face the ridicule awaiting it at home. But there was still that one second left to play. Penn lined up at the Cornell 18--yard line, having one last chance to avoid being beaten by a team that hadn't even scored on it in their last four contests. Quarterback James Donapel ran a quick snap and dropped back to pass. Everyone covered. The Cornell defense had read the play well. Suddenly, the Quaker offensive line began to break down, and a Red lineman's hands almost grabbed Donapel for a sack. But the wily quarterback stepped up into the pocket and drifted to his left. After staring into a sea of Red defensive backs, he gave a quick look his right and let the ball fly. The crowd saw the play unfold much before the Red defense did: Penn wideout Tim Murphy had quietly slipped through the line and ran to the far right side of the field. The ball floated to him, he turned, and let it drop in his hands. Touchdown Penn, 19-17. The Quakers had avoided the upset as the Red was left in utter shock. It dropped from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in the matter of one second. "We haven't been winning a lot, and we came back from ten points down. It was a big letdown," commented sophomore Michael Ormsby. But, in fact, all was not lost. And in spite of its initial disappointment, the Red extracted many positives. First, a quarterback situation that had looked dire at best, is suddenly one of the brightest spots on the team. Senior tri--captain Sunil Gupta and junior Charlie Tam rotated throughout the game, providing an effective one--two punch of running and drop--back passing. Tam had trouble igniting an offense that hadn't been active since the 1999 season. The Red mustered four total yards in the first quarter. But when Gupta entered the game three minutes before half--time, the team suddenly came alive. "In the beginning of the game we wanted to run to attack their defense," Ormsby explained. "That wasn't working so the coaches decided to open it up. We attacked their secondary, and we found their weakness." Gupta completed two passes to sophomore Henry Kim for 29 yards. Four downs later, freshman kicker Chris Garnic nailed a 27--yard field goal to leave the score at 10--3 going into the half. Tam sparked a much--needed ground game in the fourth--quarter, scoring a touchdown on a two--yard dash. Second, the defense proved that it was as solid as last year's version, if not as dominant. The Red held Penn to only three points over a crucial third quarter, allowing the team to stay in the game. Third, the running game proved it could be relied upon as sophomore Dean Coccaro ran 19 times for 82 yards, many of which came in two key time--consuming fourth quarter drives. Tam added 22 yards on his 19 carries and the team rang up 114 total yards on the ground. All three of these positives came together in the fourth quarter -- one of the most impressive quarters of football in recent memory. The quarter began with Cornell down 13--3, holding the ball on its own 22--yard line. With Gupta at the Q and Coccaro and Tam alternating in the backfield, the team reached the Penn 43--yard line before stalling for three downs. Fourth down and a long four yards to go, a crowd of over 300 clamored for anything but a punt. Cullen sent out his special teams unit nonetheless, and Garnic lined up for another booming punt, having averaged 37 yards per kick. The ball was hiked, and the Penn defense setup for the return. But the ball didn't reach Garnic. Coccaro cut in front of its path, and ran around the right end for a 20--yard gain. Three plays later, Gupta dropped back and lofted a floater into the endzone to sophomore Michael Ormsby. Ormsby stopped, jumped over his defender, and scored, cutting the Quaker lead to three, 13--10. "The coaches put me in, and I had a few inches on the defender. Sunil threw a good pass that was easy for me to get to," Ormsby said. "It was exciting because [the play] got the offense rolling in the fourth quarter." Then, midway through the fourth quarter, Penn had the ball at its own 19--yard line. It called a routine run up the middle, but the Red defense forced, and recovered, a fumble. After a four--yard Tam run, Gupta almost hit Ormsby in the endzone again, but the tight end couldn't hang on. On third down, Gupta handed off to Tam who took off to his right, but had nowhere to go. He eyed the defenders, suddenly stopped, rifled the ball down the field and hit Ormsby for a nine-yard gain. The drive eventually led to a second Cornell touchdown. The score now stood 17--13. Penn got the ball back with five minutes left in the game, but the Red defense held on. Senior tri--captain Angelo Palmieri distributed two bone--jarring hits along the way, preventing two all but certain completions. The Cornell offense got the ball back with 2:14 left, but couldn't run out the clock, and Penn had its final chance, sitting on the 50--yard line with 33 seconds left. Penn drove quickly to the Cornell 18--yard line with five seconds left. On third down, Donapel's throw into the endzone was almost intercepted by junior Adam Romeiser -- an interception that would have ended the game. The clock stopped with one second left, waiting for Murphy's heroics. "Even though we were devastated by the loss, we have a lot of things to look forward to, especially from an offensive standpoint," Ormsby said. Cornell next plays Princeton this Saturday at 4 p.m. on Schoellkopf Field.Archived article by Sumeet Sarin](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/cds/713b6b37-fcd2-44aa-8370-9a99c7347307.sized-1000x1000.?w=1500&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
![It's been a while since the Cornell men's soccer team has had some real competition to go after. Following a long summer of departing seniors and young players bursting with promise, the squad is more than ready to take the field against Colgate (1-2). Tomorrow night's opener against the Raiders will be under the Berman Field lights at 7:00 p.m. "We're just sick and tired of kicking each other," head coach Bryan Scales said. "We're ready for a game. The guys are tired of training, and now it's just a matter of getting out and getting into a competition and playing." Colgate, who is coming off a tough 3-2 overtime loss to Syracuse, has a reputation of being a team that will put up a fight for the entire game and in all spots on the pitch. "We've always had very good games with Colgate," Scales recalled. "Their characteristics don't change too much. They are very hard-working, they pressure the ball all over the field. They compete for all head balls and tackles and loose balls." The Red has a 46-20-5 all-time record against 'Gate, dating back to 1921. Last year's tilt between the two schools was won by Cornell, 3-1, but all three of the Red goals were netted by seniors who have since moved on to the professional ranks. Scales is confident in the booters who have moved up into starting roles, as evidenced by the fact that the starting lineup is completely set. "To be honest, the preseason has gone quite well," Scales noted. "The veterans have been terrific. [Junior] Liam Hoban, who's our captain, has been very good. The chemistry is pretty good." Senior striker Ted Papadopoulos, who led the Red with six goals two years ago, will be counted on for veteran leadership, as will fifth-year senior back Nick Haigh. Junior Doug Allan, who saw some time in the cage last year, will be the starting goalkeeper against the Raiders. Colgate, like Cornell, is an extremely young team. It only has two seniors, and is led offensively by sophomore midfielder Zach Stuppy. 'Gate will probably start either Will Martin or Jon Brunell, both sophomores, in net. Cornell has seen some action against another team, having scrimmaged Plattsburgh two weeks ago. But tomorrow night's contest will be the first real test for a team with a lot of inexperienced players. To win, the Red will have to match Colgate's competitiveness and stick to what has worked for Cornell in the past - basic ball-control soccer. "We'll hopefully come out flying on Saturday night," Scales said, "and just see how things look."Archived article by Alex Fineman](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/cds/70b1cc9b-68c4-40ba-8751-30981058b53b.sized-1000x1000.?w=1500&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
![Accustomed to tranquility during the summer, Cornell attracted international attention and hundreds of demonstrators when former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui Ph.D '68 visited his alma mater from June 26-28. During Lee's visit, which was originally scheduled to take place in May but postponed twice due to health reasons, he met with his granddaughter, faculty and members of the Taiwan community. Lee's last visit to the University came in 1995, when he addressed a large reunion weekend audience and hoards of international press. "[Lee has] maintained close contact with Cornell," said Henrik N. Dullea '61, vice president for University relations. "We were pleased to have him visit in 1995 and we're pleased again here." However, the University did receive a letter from the Chinese ambassador expressing opposition from the Chinese government to Lee's visit, due to his controversial efforts throughout his career to further Taiwan's independence and democracy. "We acknowledged and received that letter," Dullea said, noting that the letter contained no veiled threats to Cornell and that there were no repercussions from China when Lee visited Cornell for the 1995 Reunion Weekend. "We have a lot of programs with China, and many [Chinese international] students ... none of that was affected after the last visit." During a private luncheon hosted by University President Hunter R. Rawlings III, the University announced the establishment of the Lee Teng-hui Institute for scientific research, which will be located in Duffield Hall. The nanofabrication research facility, scheduled for completion in 2004, will be built on the Engineering Quad and received financial support from a consortium of Taiwanese companies in honor of Lee. Noting the importance of technology in maintaining the excellence of the University, Lee said he hoped the research at the Lee Teng-hui Institute would "develop not only new, but ethical technologies, ones that benefit world peace and further human progress." The previous day, hundreds of cheering supporters varying in age and coming from several states lined the tarmac to welcome Lee at Ithaca- Tompkins County Airport. After being greeted at the airport by a small party led by Rawlings and a brief stop at the Statler Hotel, the group moved to a reception at the Clarion Hotel, which was attended by hundreds of Lee supporters and advocates for Taiwan's independence from China. Lee also spoke (in Taiwanese) at the event. "Cornell has taught me to be more virtuous, to help Taiwan ... so that Taiwan is not ruled by someone else and so that society is more fair," Lee said, according to translator Victor Yang '03. Lee said, "I have emphasized listening to the people to understand what they want," adding that "how they rule in China does not work in Taiwan [and] people in Taiwan will always be loyal to what is right -- to democracy." Though Lee's visit was characterized as a "non-governmental, low-key event," Dullea said that "when you speak to a Taiwanese audience it's not surprising to speak about politics." Several student groups that believe Taiwan to be part of China have voiced objections to Lee's visit and to his efforts advocating Taiwan's sovereignty. The Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) distributed literature at an afternoon rally held on Ho Plaza on June 27. Hundreds of activists from as far away as Purdue University and Harvard University converged on Ithaca for the rally. In an open letter read aloud during the event, the organization stated, "Mr. Lee-Teng-hui has taken deliberate steps to divide the Chinese territory and sovereignty in an attempt to separate Taiwan from China." The letter went on to criticize what the group saw as an abuse of Cornell: "History proved that Lee is most interested in taking advantage of Cornell University's fame for the purpose of his political propaganda." The purpose of CSSA's rally was to "protest Lee's separatist ideas and efforts, as well as his visit to Cornell," said Rony Chen grad, spokesperson for CSSA. "We don't believe this is a private visit because after Lee's retirement he has still tried to promote separatist ideas wherever he is," Chen said. Still, other groups, both before and during the visit, have shown their support for Lee and the independence of Taiwan. "We can see that people really love Taiwan here," said Tom Lee, a junior this fall at Yale University. "I came out here mainly as a patriotic thing because it's good to support the country as a whole." Lee Teng-hui earned his Cornell Ph.D. from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in the field of agricultural economics. He served as president of Taiwan from 1988 until 2000, though the United States has not recognized Taiwan as an independent country since diplomatic relations with China were re-established in the 1970s.Archived article by Peter Lin](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/cds/f2d15928-2f27-49e0-80b3-e1bce841b8af.sized-1000x1000.?w=1500&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
