PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Senior guard Louis Dale fell just short of the first triple-double in Cornell men's basketball history, but the Big Red had plenty in its tank to knock off Toledo 78-60 on Friday afternoon at Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center. The game was the second of four games in the 2009 Legends Classic. The Big Red improved to 3-2, while the Rockets slipped to 0-4.
Dale ended the afternoon with 14 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals while not turning the ball over in 33 outstanding minutes. He had opportunities late for the triple-double, but saw Jeff Foote wrestle a loose ball away and then had a pair of open 3-pointers missed by teammates that could have gone for the 10th assist. He led four players in double figures, as senior Ryan Wittman had a game-high 20 points, Geoff Reeves had 14 and Alex Tyler scored 10 points. Senior Jeff Foote notched a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double to round out the five double figure scorers. The Big Red won despite hitting just 32 percent of its shots from 3-point range (7-of-22) despite repeatedly getting open looks with its ball movement. Cornell assisted on 18 baskets in the win.
Freshmen Stephen Albrecht (20) and Jake Barnett (13) were impressive in the loss. Toledo cut a 15-point second half deficit to three before the seasoned seniors took over the game for the Big Red.
After a tightly contested first 15 minutes, the Big Red used a defensive spark and some hot shooting from beyond the arc to turn a 30-27 lead into a 41-27 edge at the break. Wittman hit a trey and Reeves scored on two others, while Dale scored on an acrobatic tip-in. Dale had an impressive line of eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals without a turnover in the first 20 minutes, while Wittman scored 12. The Big Red went 10 players deep on day one of the three-day showcase. The Cornell defense limited Toledo to 38 percent shooting in the first hakf and forced nine turnovers. Albrecht had 10 points to lead the Rockets.
The Big Red go the game off on the right foot, winning the tap and having Dale find Foote for an alley-oop to open the game, but Toledo's hot shooting kept it close early. The Rockets hit on 5of-8 shots to open the game, including forcing a timeout after getting an easy layup to go up 11-7 just over four minutes into the game. A great pass from Dale to Adam Wire put the Big Red back into the lead at 13-11, then a Dale fallaway jumper hit nothing but net to push Cornell's edge to four.
The Cornell defense stiffened the rest of the half, limiting Toledo to 6-of-21 shooting (29 percent) from the floor in the final 15 minutes. The Big Red finally went on a big run to end the half. A Larry Baskerfield jumper in the paint made it 30-27 with 3:04 left, but a ferocious Cornell defense took over.
The Rockets missed all three field goal attempts and committed a pair of turnovers in the final three minutes of the half, and Cornell scored on its final four possessions to go into the break with a sizable advantage.
Tyler scored on the opening two possessions of the second half, picked up a steal and was fouled on another. His two free throws with 17:23 remaining put Cornell ahead 47-32. Toledo wasn't finished. It embarked on a 13-2 run to get back within 56-53 with 10 minutes to play, including consecutive 3-point baskets by Jake Barnett and Jay Shunnar. Wittman hit a dagger on an inbounds pass to push it back to five.
Cornell brought the advantage back to 10 at the under-eight minute timeout (65-55) and hit free throws down the stretch to extend the lead to nearly 20 points before the final horn.
The Big Red will be back in action tomorrow for game three of the tournament when it faces Vermont at 2 p.m. at Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Final Stats PHILADELPHIA, PA - Toledo couldn't overcome a veteran Cornell squad on Friday afternoon as it came up on the short end of a 78-60 decision to the two-time defending Ivy League champions at Drexel's Daskalakis Center. The defeat dropped UT's record to 0-4, while the Big Red improved to 3-2.
Redshirt freshman G Stephen Albrecht spearheaded the Rocket offense with his second straight 20-point outing. Freshman G Jake Barnett joined him in double figures with 13 points.
Cornell put five players in double figures led by senior F Ryan Wittman's 20 points, while senior G Louis Dale nearly registered a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Sophomore G Geoff Reeves, senior C Jeff Foote and senior F Alex Tyler tallied 14, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
"We battled back today but Cornell's seniors took over," Toledo Head Coach Gene Cross said. "We didn't have enough left in the tank to get us over the hump against their older guys."
Toledo entered the second half facing a 41-27 deficit but was able to slowly trim Cornell's advantage. Barnett's three-point play began the Rockets' rally with 12:08 remaining to bring UT within single digits, 56-47. Back-to-back treys from Barnett and sophomore G Jay Shunnar made it a three-point contest, 56-53, and forced a Big Red timeout. Wittman's jumper put an end to the 9-0 spurt, but freshman C Jordan Dressler answered right back with a layup making it a 58-55 contest with 9:41 to play.
"We showed we have grit and toughness by coming back," Cross said. "We just can't have it come in spurts. It has to be consistent throughout an entire 40 minutes."
The Rocket offense then went silent for a couple of minutes as the Big Red responded with a nine-point run of their own for a 67-55 lead with 7:40 to play. Toledo wasn't done yet though as a Dressler layup and a pair of Barnett free throws reduced Cornell's lead to 67-59 a minute later. On its next possession, UT had a chance to make it a two-possession game but Dressler's layup rimmed out. The Big Red then followed by scoring six straight points to put the game out of reach.
"We weren't as attentive defensively as we should have been," said Cross about the two-time defending Ivy League champions' spurt to seal the game. "But it was just as much about their execution and doing what they've done over the last three years that allowed them to pull away from us."
The Rockets will continue play in the Legends Classic when it faces host Drexel on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
NOTES: Redshirt freshman G Stephen Albrecht has opened his career with four straight double-digit scoring contest. He leads the Rockets with 18.5 ppg and is shooting 50.0 percent (16-of-32) from three-point range...Sophomore G Jay Shunnar's three-pointer in the second half was the first basket of his collegiate career...The Rockets attempted a season-high 20 free throws today...UT was limited to a season-low six three-point field goals and 33.3 three-point FG%.
Louis Dale pulls up for a jumper against Toledo in the Legends Classic in Philadelphia. Members of the Vermont Catamounts watch in the background.
Ithaca JournalNovember 28, 2009PHILADELPHIA – Louis Dale had 14 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and zero turnovers, and Cornell snapped a two-game losing streak with a 78-60 victory over Toledo in men’s basketball action Friday afternoon at Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.
The game was the first of three in three days for both teams, who are wrapping up Legends Classic play along with Vermont and Drexel. Cornell (3-2) plays Vermont at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Cornell led the Rockets, whose roster includes 13 players of freshman or sophomore standing, for most of the game, and took control with an 11-0 run at the end of the first half.
Toledo pulled to as close as three points, 56-53, with 10:27 remaining, but Cornell finished the game on a 22-7 run, hitting 10 straight free throws during that stretch.
Ryan Wittman had a team-high 20 points for Cornell, while Geoff Reeves (14), Jeff Foote (12) and Alex Tyler (10) also reached double figures. Foote pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, including eight offensive.
Stephen Albrecht scored 20 points for the Rockets (0-4).
Dale just missed becoming the first player to record a triple double at Cornell. In the final minutes, Chris Wroblewski missed a wide-open 3 off a pass from Dale,and Dale let Foote pick up a loose-ball rebound with no Toledo players nearby.
Cornell Daily Sun
November 27, 2009
Cornell 78, Toledo 60
The men’s basketball team rebounded from its loss to Syracuse on Tuesday night with a resounding 78-60 win over the University of Toledo today at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Senior forward Ryan Wittman led Cornell with 20 points, and was one of four Red players to score in double-figures. Senior center Jeff Foote picked up his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. However, the real story on the day was senior guard Louis Dale narrowly missing what would have been the first triple-double in Cornell men’s basketball history, falling short by one assist and one rebound. The Red led by 14 at halftime, but the Rockets would battle back to within three, largely due to the efforts of freshman guard Stephen Albrecht, who hit a barrage of tough shots to keep his team in the game. However, Cornell’s defense responded to the Rockets' threat, successfully limiting its opponent’s shooting opportunities as the second half progressed. With less than a minute remaining, head coach Steve Donahue emptied his bench, as the Red ran out the clock en route to a comfortable 78-60 victory, ending its two-game losing streak. Cornell continues play in the Legends Classic tomorrow against Vermont at 2 p.m.
Toledo BladeNovember 27, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - Toledo couldn't overcome a veteran Cornell squad yesterday afternoon as it came up on the short end of a 78-60 decision to the two-time defending Ivy League champions at Drexel's Daskalakis Center. The defeat dropped UT's record to 0-4, while the Big Red improved to 3-2.
Redshirt freshman Stephen Albrecht spearheaded the Rocket offense with his second straight 20-point outing. Fellow freshman Jake Barnett joined him in double figures with 13 points. Cornell put five players in double figures led by senior Ryan Wittman's 20 points, while Louis Dale nearly registered a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Geoff Reeves, Jeff Foote, and Alex Tyler tallied 14, 12, and 10 points, respectively.
"We battled back today but Cornell's seniors took over," Toledo coach Gene Cross said. "We didn't have enough left in the tank to get us over the hump against their older guys."
Toledo entered the second half facing a 41-27 deficit but was able to slowly trim Cornell's advantage. Barnett's three-point play began the Rockets' rally with 12:08 remaining to bring UT within single digits 56-47.
Back-to-back treys from Barnett and sophomore Jay Shunnar made it a three-point contest 56-53 and forced a Big Red timeout. Wittman's jumper put an end to the 9-0 spurt, but freshman Jordan Dressler answered right back with a layup making it a 58-55 contest with 9:41 to play."We showed we have grit and toughness by coming back," Cross said. "We just can't have it come in spurts. It has to be consistent throughout an entire 40 minutes."
The Rocket offense then went silent for a couple of minutes as the Big Red responded with a nine-point run of their own for a 67-55 lead with 7:40 to play. Toledo wasn't done yet though as a Dressler layup and a pair of Barnett free throws reduced Cornell's lead to 67-59 a minute later. On its next possession, UT had a chance to make it a two-possession game but Dressler's layup rimmed out.
The Big Red then followed by scoring six straight points to put the game out of reach.
Below is a quote from the Springfield (MA) Republican referencing Cornell's victory over UMass on November 18. Photos from Cornell's action in the Legends Classic this weekend.
Above, players from the University of Vermont take in action of Cornell's victory on Friday over Toledo in the Legends Classic. Below, a scouting report of Cornell's remaining Legends Classic opponents, Vermont and Drexel, courtesy Brian Delaney of the Ithaca Journal.
Cornell's Jeff Foote throws down a jam against Toledo in the Legends Classic in Philadelphia.
Cornell freshman, Miles Asafo-Adjei in action against Toledo in the Legends Classic in Philadelphia.
Perfect shooting form from Max Groebe against Toledo in the Legends Classic in Philadelphia.
