Yale defeated the Cornell men’s basketball team 88-76 in the first semifinal of Ivy Madness on March 14 at Newman Arena. The Bulldogs, now with a record of 24-5, will advance to play for the league’s NCAA Tournament bid against either Penn or Harvard. Cornell dropped to 15-13 and will wait to learn if it receives a postseason invitation.
The outcome is significant as it determines which team moves forward in the conference tournament and keeps hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament appearance. For Cornell, the loss means their season may be over unless they are selected for further postseason play.
Senior Jake Fiegen led Cornell with 23 points, while junior Jacob Beccles contributed 18 points and eight rebounds. Senior Adam Hinton added 14 points, and senior Josh Baldwin recorded six rebounds and seven assists without a turnover. Senior Cooper Noard scored 10 points, closing his four-year career with 1,187 points—17th on Cornell’s all-time scoring list—and ranking fifth in school history for career three-pointers made. The Big Red started strong from beyond the arc but finished shooting just under 30 percent from three-point range for the game.
Yale was led by Isaac Celiscar with 27 points as part of a balanced attack that saw four players score in double figures. The Bulldogs shot nearly 55 percent from the field and outscored Cornell in the paint by a margin of 46-34. Yale maintained control throughout much of the game despite several comeback attempts by Cornell.
Cornell briefly narrowed the gap late in the second half after three-pointers from Beccles and Fiegen cut Yale’s lead to five points with just over two minutes left. However, Yale responded quickly with key baskets and free throws to secure their victory.
With this win, Yale advances to Sunday’s championship game while Cornell awaits word on its postseason fate.
