Upstate Showdown: 12-17-11

Cornell kicked off the break with a dramatic overtime victory against Upstate rival Albany at Newman Arena, 85-82. Senior guard and co-captain Drew Ferry led the way with 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting from downtown. Juniors Josh Figini and Johnathan Gray also scored in double figures, while freshman guard Galal Cancer chipped in with 11 points. The Red trailed by six at half, but erased the deficit with an impressive 49-point second half performance to tie things up, 76-76. Senior guard and co-captain Chris Wroblewski registered the game-winner on a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining in extra time to secure the win for Cornell. 

Start of a Big Trip: 12-19-11

No. 25 Illinois squeaked past Cornell, 64-60, handing the Red a tough defeat in the first end of a two-game swing against Big 10 opponents. The squads entered the locker room tied at half, 32-32, in a contest that experienced eight lead changes. With the Red trailing in the final minutes, 60-58, Ferry failed to convert on a pair of 3’s and the Fighting Illini registered four straight points to put the game on ice. Figini led the way with 14 points and the Cornell bench out-scored Illinois’ reinforcements, 16-0, but the Illini starting five proved durable enough to outlast the Red. 

On the Road Again: 12-21-11

The Red fell in another close contest at a Big 10 foe, losing to Penn State, 74-67, in State College, Pa. Twenty points from the sharp-shooting Ferry, who hit 6-of-11 from 3-point land, helped trim the deficit to give Cornell a chance at a late comeback; however, the Nittany Lions finished strong at the free throw line to quash any chance of the Red securing its first road victory of the season. Freshman Shonn Miller continued his fast start with 15 points, while Cancer added 10 points and seven rebounds to the Cornell effort. The Red returns to action on Dec. 28 for a 7 p.m. matchup at Stony Brook before closing out its five-game road trip against Bucknell and Maryland.