For the third time in six days, the Cornell men’s basketball team pulled out a road victory. For the first time in 73 years, that road win came against an ACC team.
The Big Red grabbed an 18-point halftime lead, surrendered a 23-point second-half advantage, and shook both off to claim a hard-fought 88-80 victory over California on Tuesday evening at Haas Pavilion. The Big Red heads into final exams with a 7-3 record, while the Golden Bears slipped to 6-4.
Junior AK Okereke netted a career-high 24 points and added six rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and three steals in a return to his home state to lead four double-figure scorers. Junior Cooper Noard also reached a career-high with 21 points and scored the go-ahead bucket with 3:20 remaining, while senior Nazir Williams posted 18 points. Jake Fiegen posted 11 points with three rebounds and three assists, with his tough three-point play adding some insurance with 94 seconds left.
The Big Red returns home after a month away from home when it welcomes Illinois State to Newman Arena on Sunday, December 22 at noon.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].