box score
audio - coach sydney johnson & kyle koncz

Ryan Wittman scored a game-high 20 points and seven foot transfer center Jeff Foote added a career-best 18, including nine straight in a key first half stretch, as Cornell pulled away from Princeton for a 72-61 win on Friday night in Ithaca.

Senors Kyle Koncz and Kevin Steuerer paced Princeton in defeat. Koncz connected on five three point shots, racking up 19 points, and Steuerer added a career-high 17.

Both teams shot the ball exceptionally well from outside the arc. Cornell was 7-15 in the game (46.7%) and Princeton fired from deep at a 12-23 clip (52.2%).

The Tigers, who continue to look like a different team than the one that lost 12 straight before the exam break, came out aggressive on offense and communicated well when switching on defense.

Lincoln Gunn's shot from dead on rattled out and back in to open the scoring.

Ryan Wittman, the sophomore forward with the enviously smooth jump shot, answered with the first of his four triples out of the far corner, but that was the only clean look for the Big Red in the first four minutes. Koncz rattled a three home and when Noah Savage dropped in a long runner across the lane, the Tigers led 8-3.

Princeton would hold this lead for the first 15 minutes of the half, extending the advantage to 24-17 on free throw shot by Koncz, fouled by Andre Wilkins as he scooped the ball towards the basket while driving down the lane.

Foote came off the bench at the 7:00 mark and immediately scored on a high/low pass from Wittman to cut the Princeton lead down to two. A drop-step move by Foote after a Zach Finley layup made the score 26-23 Tigers. With so many sharp-eyed threats for Cornell on the perimeter, Princeton did not double-team Foote and he was able to muscle his way down to his comfort zone.

Foote was fouled by Finley on a long hook shot in the center of the paint and his second free throw gave him nine consecutive points and the Big Red their first lead. A cutting Jason Hartford on the baseline laid in a pass from the free throw line by Alex Tyler to take the edge up to three.

Steuerer made the score 30-29 when he spun on Louis Dale out of the post with two minutes remaining but Wittman got free with a pump fake for three and showed great body control to convert a tough high-rising baseline jumper over Koncz one possession later.

Jason Hartford tipped in an errant Wittman jumper with one hand as time expired and Cornell had their largest lead of the game, 37-29.

The Tigers shot the ball extremely well in the first 20 minutes (10-20 from the field) but the Big Red were even better from the floor (15-23). Princeton made their first five three pointers and missed their final five attempts.

The Orange and Black had the first possession of the second half. Gunn connected with Finley sliding to the hole for a layup. A deep three point shot by Adam Gore was long and Savage rebounded. Princeton worked the ball around to Koncz in front of the Princeton bench and the senior from Strongsville was fouled by Wittman as he went up. All three free throws found their mark and the Cornell lead was suddenly down to three.

Princeton was given two excellent chances to pull square. Lincoln Gunn could not connect when left open at the top of the arc. The rebound came to Finley, who fed Gunn in the exact same spot but a second clean look was also off the mark.

Cornell responded with nine straight. At the other end of the floor Gore connected from outside and Gore was the distributor on Cornell's next possession, driving to draw the defense and finding Hartford on the wing for three. When Foote was hacked by Savage and made one of two at the line the lead was up to 46-34.

Princeton came right back. Finley drove on Foote down the left side for two. Steuerer saved the ball on the sideline as Geoff Reeves lost control and drove coast-to-coast down the lane. Steuerer connected from deep in the far corner off a Koncz assist created by dribble penetration and the Tigers trailed by just four.

A Wittman jumper in the lane boosted the lead back to six, but Koncz sprung free for a sliver of daylight and hit again from the outside. Princeton trailed 48-45. A Finley hook that could have pulled Princeton closer was off the mark and Dale was fouled by Steuerer at the opposite end.

Savage's three point shot in the far corner with 10:30 to go drew the lead down to 50-48 but at the corresponding spot 94 feet away it was Wittman answering. Cornell had too many weapons on offense and Princeton could not contain them all. Jason Battle added three points for the Big Red to push their lead to eight.

Back-to-back three point shots from Koncz, the first of the step-back variety and the second on a pass from Gunn that met Koncz coming up top behind two screens made the score 58-54 Cornell with 6:17 on the clock. Koncz savored his fifth tree point shot with an extended follow-through, running back down the floor as Cornell called time out.

Princeton again had a chance to make it a one possession game, but a rare stagnant offensive possession ended with Steuerer forcing up a contested off-balance jumper from the free throw line as the shot clock neared expiration.

Foote backed down backup center Pawel Buczak and scored while being fouled to increase the Cornell lead to seven. Louis Dale tipped home a Battle miss and Sydney Johnson called time out with Princeton now down 63-54 and 4:17 to go.

The Tigers could get no closer than seven in the final minutes and Cornell ran out the clock on their fifth straight Ivy League victory. It had been an inspired effort, but Princeton could not match a superior Cornell team point-for-point and at the end of the night the Big Red stood all alone at the top of the Ivy standings.

Notes:

-Wittman and Foote combined to go 13-18 from the field for Cornell.

-Kyle Koncz's five three point shots on Friday gave him 141 for his career, good for eighth on Princeton's career list of three point field goals made, one behind Chris Mooney '92. Koncz has an outside shot at catching his head coach for fourth place (162) before his senior year concludes.

-After a stellar shooting weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard, Lincoln Gunn was 1-7 from the field on Friday night, missing his last six shots.

-Matt Sargeant did not travel to Ithaca with Princeton, out of action with an injury.

-Princeton heads to New York City on Saturday. For a 7:00 pm ET matchup with Columbia.