ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior guard
Chandler Piggé and sophomore forward
Thomas Batties II each scored a team-high 14 points, but Harvard Men's Basketball fell at Cornell University, 75-60, on Saturday night at Newman Arena.
Closing out its first back-to-back of the season and playing its third game in a four-game road swing, the Crimson (7-12, 2-4 Ivy) held a lead as large as 12 points early in the first half and maintained a 32-30 edge at halftime before the Big Red (13-6, 5-1 Ivy) opened the second half on a 15-2 run on its way to the decision.
Piggé totaled 14 points, a team-best three assists, and a game-high three steals while Batties II netted his 14 points on 6-of-12 field goals and 2-of-3 3-pointers alongside a team-high five rebounds. First-year guard
Austin Hunt joined the duo in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and three rebounds.
The Crimson split the weekend after winning 90-82 at Columbia on Friday night.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior guard Chandler Piggé tallied a team-high 14 points, team-best three assists, game-high three steals, and two rebounds. He scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and led the Crimson in scoring for the 10th time.
- Sophomore forward Thomas Batties II posted team highs in points (14) and rebounds (five), while making 6-of-12 field goals and 2-of-3 3-pointers. He finished in double figures for the 10th time this year, led the Crimson in scoring for the third time, and paced Harvard in rebounding for the fifth time.
- First-year guard Austin Hunt scored 10 points, while hitting 4-of-7 field goals and adding three boards. He notched a double-figure scoring effort for the fourth time this year.
- First-year guard Robert Hinton added eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with a team-high three assists, and senior guard Evan Nelson chipped in seven points and team highs in rebounds (five) and assists (three).
Gallery: (2-1-2025) Men's Basketball at Cornell
How It Happened
- Harvard jumped out to a 16-4 lead at the 15:30 mark of the first half as Batties II (two), Nelson, and Piggé combined to hit four 3-pointers inside the opening 5:30.
- After Cornell pulled within 18-14, back-to-back buckets from Batties II kept Harvard up 22-14 with 10:16 left in the first half.
- Consecutive 3-pointers from Hinton and Hunt gave the visitors a 32-23 lead with 3:57 left until halftime. Harvard maintained a 32-30 edge at the break as the Big Red scored the final seven points of the opening half.
- Cornell opened the second half on a 15-2 run to pull ahead 45-34 with 15:39 remaining, capping a 22-2 stretch going back to the first half.
- Five straight points from Hunt allowed the Crimson to pull back within 45-39 with 13:46 to go. The hosts then moved the margin to 59-44 with 9:24 left despite five points from Piggé, including a 3-pointer. Harvard could pull no closer than 14 points the rest of the way as Cornell gained a lead as large as 20 points.
Next Up
Harvard plays at Dartmouth on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+).
