Wish I could shut my playboy mouth: UMass held senior forward Ryan Wittman (20) to just four points on Wednesday.By Zach Slabotsky
Cornell Daily Sun
November 20, 2009
The Red continues to show that skill and experience can overcome athletic disadvantages. On Wednesday, Cornell defeated UMass on the Minutemen’s home court. The Red (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) used superior execution and shooting ability in overcoming noticeable disadvantages in quickness and athleticism against its Atlantic 10 foe.
After falling behind, 5-1, early, Cornell went on an 8-0 run and never looked back. The Red led 33-28 at halftime, scored the first six points after the break, and never let the lead fall below six after that. Cornell’s defense carried it to victory. The Red held the Minutemen to 37 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers.
UMass possessed the far quicker team in the early season matchup. Minutemen players — most noticeably guards Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley — were routinely able to beat their defenders off the dribble and get into the paint. However, excellent defensive rotations allowed Cornell to contain the UMass attack.
“We wanted to emphasize no one-on-one stuff,” said senior Mark Coury.” If a guy drives, we have guys moving and helping out.”
“It was mainly my teammates finding me,” Dale said. “We moved the ball really well and I was able to knock down some shots.”
Dale made three 3-pointers during that stretch, all of which were assisted by classmate Ryan Wittman.
“That was great for us,” senior Alex Tyler said of Dale’s scoring binge. “We all know that Louis can do that. He takes it on himself to make some great plays and he’s that type of player that can take over a game.”
Cornell also received a big lift from its bench. Senior Geoff Reeves, who started 28 of the Red’s 31 games a season ago, scored an efficient 16 points.
“He’s a tremendous player and he could start on plenty of teams so it’s great to have him come and provide a spark and scoring for us off the bench,” Dale said. “He did a great job; he was knocking down shots and really playing great defense.”
Junior Adam Wire also had a strong game off the bench. The backup forward tallied seven points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
“Adam did a great job last night. He really brings a lot of energy. He was great for not only rebounding but also getting those 50-50 balls,” Tyler said. “[UMass] went with four guards and [Wire is] a great option for us whenever a team goes to a smaller lineup.”
Junior Max Groebe began his career at UMass before transferring to Cornell. He buried two crucial long balls against his former team.
“We all wanted [Groebe] to make those 3’s because it’s symbolic about moving forward,” Coury said.
Star forward Ryan Wittman was held to four points during 34 minutes of action in the game.
“It shows the balance of our team that our best player [Wittman], arguably, could have a 1-for-8 shooting night and Geoff Reeves steps in and makes some big shots for us and we still get a pretty big win,” Tyler said.
The Red will play its home opener tonight against Seton Hall. The Pirates are 2-0 to start this season after finishing 16-14 with a 7-11 record in the ultra-competitive Big East a season ago. Seton Hall faced a ranked team 12 times last season, but won only two of those contests – defeating USC and Georgetown.
“I’m very excited to play a Big East team on our home floor,” Dale said. “Expectations are high. I’m looking forward to having a good game and having fun out there.”
The Pirates are an experienced group that starts three seniors and two juniors. The Red’s top priority must be stopping junior guard Jeremy Hazell, who averaged 22.7 points and made roughly three 3-pointers per game as a sophomore. The point guard matchup between do-it-all seniors Dale and Eugene Harvey should also be worth keeping an eye on.
“I think we have a great opportunity [to win],” Tyler said. “We know we can beat about anybody on our schedule. We know we have to go out there, work hard, execute our offense, and play our game.”
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