Late game poise and a key late defensive stop allowed the Cornell men’s basketball team to head into a holiday break with a victory after a 90-85 victory at Robert Morris on Friday afternoon at UUPMC Events Center. The Big Red improved to 9-2, matching its best start since 1967, and won its fifth true road game, tied for the most in all of Division I. The Colonials fell to 4-9 with the loss.
Chris Manon scored 20 points and added six rebounds, five steals and four assists to become the first Cornell player in school history to post those numbers or better in a single game. He led four double figure scorers, with Isaiah Gray adding 17 points, four assists, two steals and two rebounds and Nazir Williams adding 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals with zero turnovers. AK Okereke netted 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Guy Ragland Jr. chipped in nine with three rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. As a team, the Big Red shot 57 percent from the floor and connected on 20-of-22 free throws, including 13-of-14 after halftime. The Big Red had 13 steals and held significant advantages in points in the paint (50-36), fast break points (16-4) and bench points (41-13).
Josh Corbin scored 22 points to lead Robert Morris, with Stephaun Walker posting 20 to go along with nine rebounds and three steals. The home team connected on 12-of-27 3-pointers, but largely used its 23-4 edge on second chance points to control much of the contest. Justice Williams was the third double figure scorer with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Colonials, who shot 49 percent overall but connected on just 11-of-23 free throws.
In a game that featured seven ties and 16 lead changes, the spread was more than a single possession for just 14 seconds in the final nine minutes. Tied with 1:30 to go, Gray put the Big Red ahead for good with a pair of free throws. Cornell then got a stop on arguably its best defensive possession of the afternoon with…
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