* Box ScoreAMHERST, Mass. -- The Cornell men's basketball team methodically pulled away from Massachusetts and came away with a 74-61 victory in the first round of the Legends Classic on Wednesday evening at the Mullins Center. Despite the win, the Big Red will not get a chance to play in the championship round, as the tournament matchups were predetermined. Cornell will play at Drexel against Toledo, Vermont and the host Dragons from Nov. 27-29 in Philadelphia.
Senior guard Louis Dale tied his career high with 24 points and added four assists and four steals, while classmate Geoff Reeves chipped in 16 points. Senior Jeff Foote had 10 points and nine rebounds, with Adam Wire posting an impressive seven points, seven rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes without a turnover. Cornell was able to earn the hard-fought victory despite just nine combined points from starters Ryan Wittman, Chris Wroblewski and Alex Tyler thanks to a bench that totalled 31 points.
The Big Red took a 33-28 lead into halftime despite not getting a whole lot of offense from the big three of Dale, Foote and Wittman and getting pounded on the boards by the more athletic Minutement. The trio combined for just 12 total points, while the Big Red trailed on the boards 24-10 at halftime. The Big Red made up for it on defense. The visitors held UMass to 35 percent shooting, including 20 percent from 3-point range (1-of-5). Cornell also forced 11 turnovers (scoring 16 points off them) and had three steals and three blocked shots. The 3-point shot again was the difference as Cornell conencted on 4-of-11 from deep, with Reeves hitting both of is shots en route to a team-best eight first-half points.
Ricky Harris had nine points in the first half to lead all scorers. The Minutemen went more than 17 minutes before assisting on their first basket, needing to go 1-on-1 for nearly all of their offense over the first 20 minutes.
UMass led 5-1 early, but the Big Red caught up quickly and went ahead for the first time in the first half when Reeves hit a fallaway jumper at 16:17, then drained a 3-pointer from the wing 50 seconds later to push the lead to four. UMass would tie it briefly at 9-9, but Groebe scored his first Cornell points with a trey from the corner to make it 12-9. Cornell's defense was able to sustain the lead, limiting the Minutemen to 33 percent shooting in the first nine minutes. A monsterous Foote block with 4:30 left, followed by a Reeves block to force a 35-second shot clock violation was further proof. The Big Red run never materialized in the first half though, as Cornell led by as many as eight, but UMass was able to continuously get back to within four.
Foote dunked back a Wroblewski miss on the first possession of the second half as the vistors methodically took the lead to 12 twice in the next in the first eight minutes. The Minutemen wouldn't allow the Big Red to pull away, cutting the deficit to six before Cornell again went out to a 12-point edge (61-49). UMass never again really challenged, and Cornell hit on all six of its free throws in the final three minutes to clinch the victory.
The Big Red will open the home portion of its schedule on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. when it hosts Seton Hall of the Big East.
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AMHERST, Mass. - Despite a 26-point performance from Ricky Harris and a 37-27 rebounding advantage, the UMass men's basketball team fell in its home opener, 74-61, to Cornell on Wednesday night at the Mullins Center. Louis Dale tied a career-high with 24 points to lead the Big Red. Anthony Gurley and Terrell Vinson both scored in double figures for the Minutemen (0-2) with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Dale was 4-for-9 behind the arc, as the Big Red was 8-for-21 from 3-point range for the game. The Minutemen shot 36.7 percent (18-for-49) for the game, including 4-for-16 from long range.
With his 26 points, Harris moved past two UMass legends on the program's career scoring list. In the first half, a 3-pointer moved him past Julius Erving (1,370 points) and a layup in the second half surpassed Marcus Camby (1,387). With 1,388 points, the senior guard now sits in 12th place all-time at UMass.
Two straight driving layups by Harris, one in which he was fouled and completed the three-point play, staked the Minutemen to an early 5-1 lead. The Big Red would quickly find its shooting touch from the outside, hitting two 3-pointers in a 8-0 run that gave them a 9-5 lead four and a half minutes in. Cornell would keep the lead throughout the first half, as both offenses struggled, with each team shooting 7-for-22 (31.8%) at the four minute mark with the Big Red holding a 25-19 lead.
Harris hit a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left in the half that pulled the Minutemen to within three, 31-28. It was the Minutemen's lone field goal from behind the arc in the half, as they attempted just five. The shot moved Harris past Erving, doing so in his 100th game wearing the Maroon & White.
The teams went into halftime with the Big Red holding a five-point lead, 33-28, despite the Minutemen holding a 24-10 advantage in rebounding. Both teams shot identical 9-for-26 (34.6%) in the half, but UMass was hampered by 11 turnovers.
Cornell scored the first six points of the second half, building its lead to 11, but a Harris 3-pointer and two free throws by the senior guard on the next possession cut the deficit back to six, 39-33, with 16:49 left.
Dale then caught fire for the Big Red, scoring 11 straight Cornell points in a row, including three 3-pointers, build the Cornell lead to 12, but Harris responded by scoring the Minutemen's next eight points and cutting the deficit to six with 9:25 left.
The Minutemen pulled within seven, 66-59, on two Freddie Riley free throws with 2:07 left, but the Big Red, as it did throughout the evening, made its free throws down the stretch.
The Minutemen return to action on Saturday when they continue play in the Legends Classic by hosting Arkansas-Fort Smith at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.
Coach Kellogg's thoughts on the game:
"I've said it all week but I think that's a pretty good Cornell team, probably an NCAA Tournament team. I think that when the game was in the balance the experience really came through. I think there was a play with five minutes left where we were down five and they missed and they checked out, got the rebound and went to the free throw line. I thought that was the turning point in the ballgame. My hat is off to them, I realize that we've obviously have a lot of work to do, but that was probably a decent first step in the right direction. I think we got some decent play out of the young kids."
Ricky Harris' thoughts on how they played compared to the UCF game:
"Tonight I felt that we played better but there are still strides that we can make. I think Cornell has like nine seniors, which is vice versa with us since we have like five freshmen. That's an NCAA Tournament team."
By Ron Chimelis
The Republican November 18, 2009
AMHERST – The Minutemen got schooled by one of America’s better schools, providing more evidence that this is a year of serious rebuilding at the Mullins Center.
In its home opener, the University of Massachusetts had insufficient answers for Cornell, which claimed a 74-61 victory before 3,482 fans.
At least UMass lost to a good team. Cornell (2-0) is the two-time reigning Ivy League champion and came in on the heels of a win at Alabama.
“When the game was in the balance, their experience showed through,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said.
“We actually executed quite a bit of our game plan, but we didn’t do the whole gamut. It was probably a decent step in the right direction for us.”
“Our offense was productive, but turnovers killed us,” said Ricky Harris, who scored 26 points for UMass (0-2).
Cornell worked at a 37-27 disadvantage on the boards, but forced mistakes by UMass, which fell into an early deficit and could never make a sustained run.
Harris said he knows the need to be patient, but said it’s not easy.
“At times, it’s frustrating because we’re so young. I’m a senior, so I want to go out with the best,” he said.
“But if I stay patient, and they keep listening to coach Kellogg - coach says good things happen to good people, and I still believe that.”
Harris passed three former UMass players in career scoring.
He has 1,388 points, moving ahead of Marcus Camby (1,387), Julius Erving (1,370) and Clarence Hill (1,369), and from 15th to 12th all-time.
Anthony Gurley had 13 points. Freshman forward Terrell Vinson scored 11.
“I thought Terrell played great. He was rough, tough and mean, and that’s what I want to see,” Kellogg said.
“I played OK. I could have played better,” Vinson said.
“It’s more about getting used to the offense. It’s more complicated and difficult than I’m used to playing.”
The telling statistics were assists and turnovers. The Minutemen had seven assists and 20 mistakes.
Other than Harris, UMass is relying on youth, but Cornell has a reservoir of solid seniors.
One is guard Louis Dale, who paced Cornell with 24 points. Geoff Reeves scored 16, and 7-footer Jeff Foote had 10 with nine rebounds.
This was a first-round game in the Legends Classic, one of the weirder tournaments sanctioned by the NCAA.
UMass advances to the four-team championship round in Atlantic City, N.J., no matter what the results of its first two games.
The Minutemen play Arkansas-Fort Smith at home Saturday.
Former UMass guard Max Groebe, who transferred to Cornell last year, hit a 3-pointer that gave Cornell a 12-9 lead it never gave up.
“It feels like ages ago since I was here (in 2007-08). Most of my class has transferred or left, and it felt weird, being on the opposing side here,” Groebe said.
Cornell led 33-28 at halftime.
Point guard David Gibbs had no turnovers in 24 minutes, but also no points to go with three assists.
A UMass team that had fired up a school record 38 shots from 3-point range in its opener at Central Florida went 4 for 16.
“I didn’t want to set the the record with 39 or 40. I thought our shot selection and ball-sharing was much better in this game,” Kellogg said.
Cornell's Louis Dale goes around Princeton's Patrick Saunders on his way to the basket during their March 7th game at Newman Arena.
Dale, bench lift Cornell past UMass
Ithaca JournalNovember 19, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. -- Senior point guard Louis Dale had a big second half, and Cornell won its Legends Classic opener Wednesday night by beating host Massachusetts, 74-61, at the Mullins Center.
Dale scored 11 straight points in a span of 3 minutes, 44 seconds, to help stretch Cornell's second-half lead from 39-33 to 50-38. With Ryan Wittman suffering through an off shooting night, and with Chris Wroblewski in foul trouble, Geoff Reeves chipped in 16 points off the bench. Dale finished with 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting.
"Unbelievable," Cornell coach Steve Donahue said of his bench play. "I think when you see Ryan Wittman not having his typical day, shooting, he did other things, Chris Wroblewski has four fouls, and you're playing a very athletic team on their home court and Adam Wire is throwing his body around, Max Groebe in his role executes and Geoff Reeves, I've said it a lot of times, he's a starter. It was great."
After Dale's flurry, UMass pulled to within six at 52-46 with 9:25 remaining. Reeves pulled down an offensive rebound, was fouled, and hit two free throws to put Cornell back up by eight. UMass never got to within six points again.
The Big Red's reward? A semifinal date with Rutgers at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.? No. Try a trio of round-robin consolation games at Drexel.
The 12-team event came with pre-determined semifinal matchups of Rutgers/UMass and Michigan State/Florida. Cornell will complete Legends Classic play with a trio of games in three days at Drexel, beginning with Toledo on Nov. 27.
The Big Red is now 2-0 heading into Friday night's 7 p.m. showdown with Seton Hall (2-0) at Newman Arena.
"If the want to not have the best teams, that's their own decision if it's all about profits," Cornell senior forward and tri-captain Alex Tyler said earlier this week. "All we can do is go win."
The meeting was the first between the two schools. UMass had 20 turnovers. Ricky Harris scored 26 points for the Minutemen (0-2).
The Big Red received a big boost from its bench, which scored 17 of the team's 33 first-half points.
Reeves hit all three of his shots, two from beyond the arc, for eight points, while Adam Wire pitched in six. Reeves' second three-pointer gave Cornell its largest lead of the half, 17-10. After UMass closed to within three on a Ricky Harris 3-pointer, Jeff Foote gave Cornell a 33-28 halftime lead with a pair of free throws.
Cornell junior guard Max Groebe, who transferred from Massachusetts following the 2007-08 season, hit a 3-pointer in each half against his old team and finished with six points.
Wittman, who scored 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, in Saturday's season-opening 71-67 victory at Alabama, finished with four points on 1-for-8 shooting.
"I think they did a great job defending him," Donahue said. "I think Ryan settled early on maybe a little earlier than he should have, but we played off him. Lou was open a lot because they were just hugging Ryan, and he goes and gets five assists."
Jeff Foote scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots. Wire finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Dale added four steals. Cornell made 22 of 26 free throws.
Notes: Two other Ivy League men's teams played Wednesday: Princeton beat Manhattan, 61-54; and Rhode Island beat Brown, 78-57.
AMHERST - Last night’s home opener was a celebration of individual achievement for the University of Massachusetts. At halftime, the school honored its all-time leading scorer, Jim McCoy, who tallied 2,374 points from 1988-92.
The top scorer of this generation, Ricky Harris, then put up a game-high 26 points and moved into 12th place on the school’s all-time list, passing the two best players ever to put on a UMass uniform, Julius Erving and Marcus Camby.
But basketball is a team game, and last night Cornell was clearly the better team, defeating UMass, 74-61.
“That’s a good Cornell team,’’ said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. “When the game was in the balance, I thought their experience really showed through.’’
Actually, Cornell was in control pretty much from wire to wire. The Big Red grabbed the lead for good with 11:51 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Max Groebe - a former Minuteman - and pushed the lead to double digits for most of the second half. At no point did UMass cut into Cornell’s 5-point halftime lead.
Kellogg was pleased with his team’s intensity and felt that UMass had made strides since its opening loss at Central Florida last week. Still, he lamented the team’s 20 turnovers, against just seven assists. It’s clear that two games into Kellogg’s second year, his young team has yet to crack the code of the dribble-drive motion offense.
Cornell, in contrast, shared the ball well. The Big Red had 15 assists (and 14 turnovers), and won easily, despite top scorer Ryan Wittman being held to just 4 points on 1-for-8 shooting. Louis Dale led the way with 24. Geoff Reeves had 16, and 7-foot center Jeff Foote had 10.
As an opponent, Cornell is more poison than Ivy. The Big Red (2-0) are two-time defending Ivy League champions. All five starters have returned from last year. And Cornell showed it has legitimate ambitions to play at a national level with its opening win at Alabama.
The Big Red showed sharp cuts, good spacing, and crisp plays all night.
“These guys know they are a pretty good basketball team,’’ said coach Steve Donahue. “I think they also understand why they’re good, and that’s critical. They have to share the ball. They have to play extremely hard.’’
UMass got 13 points from Anthony Gurley and a hard-fought 11 from freshman Terrell Vinson.
“I thought Terrell Vinson played great,’’ said Kellogg. “He played tough, rough, and mean. That’s what I want to see.’’
For now, Kellogg is willing to preach patience, a point reinforced by Harris, his lone senior.
“This is only their second collegiate basketball game,’’ Harris said of the five UMass freshmen. “At times it gets sort of frustrating because they’re so young. I just know if I stay patient with these guys and they listen to the coach, good things will happen down the line.’’
Berkshire EagleNovember 19, 2009
The Minutemen of Derek Kellogg fell to 0-2 on the young season, falling behind early in the first half and never recovering as Ivy League power Cornell rolled into the Mullins Center and left with a 74-61 victory in the first game of the Legends Classic.
"This is only the second collegiate basketball game" for five UMass freshmen and two transfers, said senior guard Ricky Harris, who had a game-high 26 points for the Minutemen. "At times it gets frustrating because they're so young. This being my last year, I want to go out with the best I can. I just know if I stay patient with these guys ... and they continue to listen to coach, the bottom line, good things will happen."
Good things haven't happened for the Minutemen in two games. They opened on the road at Central Florida and dropped an 80-64 decision, a game where they had a school-record 38 3-point shots.
"We're nowhere near being at UMass basketball, which means when you look at it you see, exactly what I'm talking about," Kellogg said. "I think we're definitely making strides to get there."
The Minutemen will host Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday night in the second game of the four-game Legends Classic. UMass will finish up the Classic on Nov. 27 and 28 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The Big Red isn't your typical Ivy team. Coach Steve Donahue's team finished 21-10 last year, went to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and started out this season with an impressive 71-67 victory at Alabama five days ago.
Cornell is also a confident team. Twice in the second half, the Minutemen had cut a 12-point lead to six points. But the Big Red wouldn't let the Minutemen get any closer. Donahue said it's part of the maturation of a team that starts four seniors and has nine seniors on the roster.
Louis Dale had 24 points to lead the Big Red and Geoff Reeves had 16. Jeff Foote, a 7-foot-tall center, had 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Those guys picked up the slack for Ryan Wittman. The son of former NBA player Randy Wittman had only four points.
"We beat a Siena team at home when these guys were sophomores. We go on the road and play Duke well with sophomores," Donahue explained. "We played Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, had some runs at Minnesota, Indiana and Syracuse last year -- which we played well and gave them everything we had. Then to get over the hump at Alabama, these guys know they're a pretty good basketball team."
And that might have been the biggest difference between Cornell and Massachusetts on this Wednesday night. UMass had a big night on the boards, outrebounding a tall Cornell team 37-27. The biggest negative factor for UMass was its 20 turnovers.
The Minutemen shot only 36.7 percent from the floor, which led to only seven assists.
"The guys in general did a good job as compared to Central Florida, which was not fun to watch," said Kellogg. "They're taking better shots, sharing the basketball and doing some better things. Now we've got to cut back on turnovers. When we do those things, then we'll start heading in the right direction."
Kellogg's Minutemen had jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead just 1:08 into the first half. What plagued them many times last year bit them again, as they went four minutes without a point as the Big Red went on an 8-0 run to take a 9-5 lead.
UMass tied the game with four unanswered points and when freshman Freddie Riley hit a leaner with 12:44 to play in the half, it was 9-all. Former Minuteman Max Grobe, who transferred to Cornell after former coach Travis Ford left for Oklahoma State, converted a deep 3-pointer after Sampson Carter was called for traveling. That put Cornell up 12-9, and the Big Red didn't trail again in the game.
"It was a little weird being on the opponent's side, but I enjoyed it," said Grobe, who was one of Ford's recruits to UMass. "It feels like ages ago for some reason. It's nice to get in there and contribute to the team."
Harris, Anthony Gurley and freshman Terrell Vinson were the Minutemen in double figures. Gurley came off the bench to score 13 points, while Vinson had 11.
Minutemen fall to Cornell in Legends Classic opener
UMass Minutemen ExaminerNovember 19, 2009
Amherst, MA- The University of Massachusetts Minutemen (0-2) had hoped that the legends of the old Curry Hicks Cage could help them against the Big Red of Cornell (2-0) in the first round of the Legends Classic, but it was not to be. Despite out rebounding their opponent 37 to 27 the Minutemen fell by a score of 74-61.
On the night that UMass honored their all time scoring leader, Jim McCoy, during a half time ceremony, the current Minutemen’s leading scorer, Ricky Harris, poured in 26 points to lead all scorers. However the Minutemen could not mount much scoring from anyone else. Harris scored 17 of his points in the second half as the Minutemen attempted to battle back from a five point first half deficit. The Minutemen would get the Big Red lead down to six several times, the last time on a Harris free throw with 9:27 left to play.
“I thought our guys in general did a good job as compared to Central Florida which was not fun to watch” said Coach Derek Kellogg. “We were taking better shots, sharing the basketball, and doing some good things. Now we've got to cut back on turnovers. I think if we do those things then we'll start heading in the right direction.”
The Big Red were lead by 24 points from guard Louis Dale. Jeff Foote contributed nine boards and added 10 points.
Groebe contributes for Big Red
Daily Collegian
November 19, 2009
Groebe hot in return
It’s easy to forget that at one point, junior Max Groebe played for the Minutemen. Groebe transferred after his freshman season, where he played 5.5 minutes per game.
He was one of seven freshmen on the 2007-08 squad that saw four of its players transfer (Gary Correia, Trey Lang and Matt Hill are the only remaining players from that class).
But when he returned to the Mullins Center, he made his mark in a relatively short amount of time.
Groebe played eight minutes and shot 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He made the first 3-pointer early in the game to give Cornell a 12-9 lead with 11 minutes, 51 seconds left in the first half.
UMass never regained the lead from that point forward.
“If I have to be on the bench and just cheer them on, I’ll do that,” Groebe said. “If I have to come in for a couple minutes and give them an offensive spark, that’s what I’ll do.”
Donahue isn’t sure what type of role Groebe will have down the road, considering his team is already established with proven veterans. However, he feels that whatever that role is, Groebe will fit in just fine.
“Max has done a terrific job. He doesn’t just speak it, he does it,” Donahue said about Groebe’s work ethic. “He works extremely hard, as hard as anyone in our program, doing the extra things. I think he’s a quality player and knows how to play.”
Minutemen drop home opener to Big Red
Daily CollegianNovember 19, 2009
The University of Massachusetts men’s basketball team tangled with the Ivy League’s defending champions last night, and played formidably in a 74-61 loss against a more experienced and disciplined Cornell team.
The Minutemen were never out of contention, as their aggressive play kept the Big Red honest. However, their assertiveness on the offensive end led to costly turnovers, allowing Cornell to dictate the pace of the game and maintain its lead.
“We have to value the basketball,” senior guard Ricky Harris said. “Our turnovers killed us.”
UMass played sloppily on the offensive end, unable to move the ball swiftly and committing unforced turnovers. The Minutemen gave the ball away in many different ways, committing four travels as well as a charging foul and a shot clock violation.
The Big Red scored 25 points off of 20 UMass turnovers in the game, including 16 points off turnovers in the first half.
UMass played an aggressive game, moving up the floor quickly and attacking the basket with the dribble. The Minutemen saw a number of good looks around the rim, but had trouble putting them in.
Scoring started out slow in the first half, as neither team shot well from the floor.
The Minutemen caused Cornell troubles on defense, forcing them into bad shots and dominating on the boards. UMass held a 25-10 advantage on the glass after 20 minutes, but it was miscues that ended up being too much for them to overcome.
Freddy Riley was a big spark off of the Minutemen bench, scoring six points on his first three attempts. The freshman forced the Big Red into calling a quick timeout following a transition lay-up to bring UMass within two points, 19-17, with seven minutes to play.
UMass had trouble spreading the scoring around in the first half, as 22 of the Minutemen’s 28 points came from four players. Guards Riley, Harris, and Anthony Gurley as well as Terrell Vinson combined to go 8-for-15, while the rest of the team went 1-11.
UMass controlled Cornell’s two top-scorers, as center Jeff Foote and forward Ryan Whittman were scoreless from the field in the first half, managing four points between them. The Big Red started the scoring in the second half, looking poised to break away from the pesky Minutemen.
Louis Dale led the Big Red to a 50-38 advantage with 12:41 remaining, draining three long-range shots on three attempts, and finishing the game with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
Just when it looked like Cornell was going to run away with it, six straight points by Harris brought UMass back in. Harris hit three of five free throw attempts and drained a three-point basket from the corner to bring the Minutemen back in the game, 50-44, with 10:42 left.
A dunk by Foote silenced the anticipating crowd and the Big Red began to gain back momentum after two offensive rebounds sent Geoff Reeves to the line. UMass coach Derek Kellogg felt that play changed the complexion of the game.
“Our inexperience showed. We didn’t check out, they got the rebound and went to the foul line,” Kellogg said. “Really, I thought that was the turning point in the game.”
The Big Red weathered the Minutemen attack, as the lead never dipped below seven points from there on.
Yet, the ability to maintain pressure and rebound the ball kept UMass afloat in throughout the game, to Kellogg’s liking.
“We executed quite a few parts of our game plan tonight,” Kellogg said.
His star guard also agreed with him.
“I feel as though we played better,” said Harris. “But there are still strides that we can make.”
The Minutemen’s next opponent is against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday.
UA Fort Smith competed against Division I opponents in its two exhibition matches and has many games on its schedule against top-tier teams.
The Lions triumphed in their regular season opener on Tuesday against the Division III Ozarks, winning handily, 87-65. Junior guard Josh Simmons recorded a game-high 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting. Junior Chris Williams added a double-double to the effort. The 6-foot-5 forward tallied 12 points while snatching 11 rebounds.
UA Fort Smith shot 54.2 percent from the field including a blistering 69.2 percent in the second half.
There will likely be a lot of 3-pointers shot in this game as the Lions shot effectively beyond the arc in their home-opener, going 12-for-20 on the night (60 percent) led by Simmons who converted on 4-of-7 attempts.
On the defensive end, UA Fort Smith held the Eagles to 36.4 percent from the floor. It created 17 turnovers on the night, including 10 steals.
Big Red chew up, spit out Minutemen, Out of flavor
Boston HeraldNovember 19, 2009
AMHERST - UMass is a young team, with six newcomers in its rotation. Cornell is a veteran team, with seven upperclassmen returning from last year’s NCAA tournament team to log the majority of the minutes.
When the teams met last night at the Mullins Center, the value of experience was on display. The Big Red took the lead midway through the first half and, despite a number of Minutemen runs, never relinquished it in a 74-61 win.
“When the game was in the balance, I thought their experience really came through,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. “My hat’s off to them. I realize we have a lot of work to do, but that was probably a decent first step in the right direction. I thought we got some good play out of some young kids.”
The Minutemen (0-2) were led by 26 points from senior Ricky Harris, who passed Julius Erving and Marcus Camby to move into 12th place on the school’s all-time scoring list. But the offense is still a work in progress, as evidenced by its 20 turnovers.
“I thought we turned it over too much and made a few bad plays in some tough times, just trying to drive when the drive’s not there,” Kellogg said. “Some of it’s just experience and we’ll get better at it. But 20 turnovers - I thought 8-10 of them were probably on our own doing - and they came at crucial times which led to easy baskets for them.”
Cornell (2-0) displayed the poise Kellogg is striving for, taking care of the ball and getting good looks down the stretch. The Big Red repeatedly found Louis Dale for open looks and the senior guard took advantage, leading the winners with 24 points.
UMass trailed by five points at the half. Cornell scored the first six after the break to go up 39-28.
Harris scored 17 second-half points but couldn’t get the Minutemen closer than six. Anthony Gurley scored 13 points and freshman Terrell Vinson added 11.
“I thought Terrell Vinson played great tonight,” Kellogg said. “He played tough, rough and mean, and that’s what I want to see.”
Said Harris: “At times, it gets frustrating because they’re so young (and) being my last year, I want to go out as best as I can. But I just know that if I stay patient with these guys, continue to show them the ropes in practice and they continue to listen to coach, I feel as though down the line good things will start to happen for us as a team.”
Get all the information you need about Cornell's home opener against Seton Hall on November 20, right here with The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center. As the game approaches we will be adding relevant links to this space. Let us know your thoughts on the upcoming game by either leaving a comment to this post, sending us an email (CornellBigRedFan@gmail.com), or posting a message on The Cornell Basketball Blog's Community Forum and Message Board (click here, free membership). 
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