ITHACA, NY. – In a game that deserved a better ending, Cornell's Cooper Noard was fouled on a three-point attempt with 2.5 seconds left, and made two of three from the line to escape with a 95-94 win in double overtime on Thursday evening inside Newman Arena.
The loss is Colgate's fifth straight setback against its CNY rival but this was as close as any of the 136 meetings between the two teams in a series that dates back to 1901. Neither team led by more than seven points the whole way with 19 ties and 21 lead changes.
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"Knowing how Cornell plays, I didn't know how we would be able to respond because they play such a difficult style of the game. They play a lot of players, with extreme physicality, and at a tempo that very few programs play with – unlike any others that we face. There's an edge to the game and sometimes as a player that's hard to adjust to. Our guys found the type of game that it was, identified it, and competed like crazy.
"We obviously didn't do everything we needed to get the result, but I saw a fight, a togetherness, and a determination that I didn't know we would have in that environment. I was encouraged to see that. Of course we did enough to basically win the game a few times. Sometimes the result doesn't tell the whole story and we will have to take a loss, but we grew a lot from the game and I learned a lot about our team in good ways."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate led 94-91 after Carlesimo's layup with 15 seconds left. Cornell's Adam Hinton went coast-to-coast to quickly cut it to 94-93. Andrew Alekseyenko was fouled on the ensuing inbound with six ticks left. He missed the front end of a 1-and-1, setting up Cornell's go-ahead free throws.
Jalen Cox, who drained a halfcourt heave to beat Siena 72-69 on Monday, could not make it 2-for-2 on the week as Thursday's hail mary was off-target and the Big Red survived, 95-94.
REGULATION BUZZER BEATER
Noard was Cornell's hero in regulation as well, connecting on a 3-pointer with five seconds left to send the game to overtime 75-75. Cornell had the upper hand in the first OT until Cox drilled a tough game-tying stepback with 20 seconds left. Colgate's defense forced an errant shot at the buzzer, and the game went to double overtime 83-83.
Cox shined again, finishing with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Alekseyenko (17) and Kyle Carlesimo (15) made some critical shots down the stretch of each period, and Brady Cummins joined in the double-figure scoring with a season-high 12 points.
FIRST HALF GAME OF RUNS
Cornell used a 9-0 surge sparked by a 3-pointer from Noard to build a touchdown lead (21-14), which would end up being the largest margin for either team in the game. The last four points in that Big Red run came from the free throw line as Colgate had to battle through early foul trouble.
Colgate turned defense into offense and found some rhythm on both ends of the floor. Alekseyenko drained a 3-pointer in transition to spark a 13-2 burst. The Raiders forced three turnovers and connected on 4-of-5 from the field to create a 27-23 edge with 6:10 showing.
It was a back-and-forth first half from there. Cornell scored five unanswered points to reclaim a brief 29-28 lead before back-to-back triples from Alekseyenko and Cummins handed the Raiders their largest lead of the half, 35-30, at the final timeout of the first half.
A pair of tough jumpers from Cox and Kyle Carlesimo on Colgate's final two possessions helped the Raiders take a 41-37 lead into the intermission. Cornell regained a brief advantage before Josh Ahayere's 3-pointer sparked a 6-0 Raider run and matched Colgate's largest lead of the game, 61-56, midway through the second half.
The Raiders clamped on to the lead the rest of the way until Noard's tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
NOTES
- This was Colgate's first double-OT game since Feb. 15, 2025, at Boston U (L, 93-91).
- In 136 all-time meetings, this was the third game decided by one point – and the first since 1934. The teams have played nine overtime/double OT games in their history.
- Three of Colgate's first four games against non-power opponents have been decided by three points or fewer.
- Jalen Cox has now scored 20 or more points with at least six assists and six rebounds in three of the last four games.
UP NEXT
Colgate (2-4) will face UAlbany next Friday, Nov. 28, in Laval, Quebec, as part of the Northern Classic. The Raiders face SUNY Oneonta and Fordham next Saturday and Sunday, respectively. All three games are set to be played inside the historic Place Bell.
