ITHACA, N.Y., March 6 - Penn might have gotten out to an early 20-12 lead against Cornell, but by the end of the night there was no doubt who was the class of the Ivy League.
The Big Red took over the lead by halftime, then used a 29-10 run midway through the second half to finish off the Quakers, 83-59. With Princeton also losing, Cornell (21-9, 11-3 Ivy) clinched its second-straight Ivy title, becoming the first team in the country to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 14 Cornell will now face No. 3 Missouri in the first round of the NCAAs in Boise, Idaho, Thursday.
For the Quakers (10-18, 6-8), the loss to the Big Red - the fourth straight time they have failed to beat former Penn assistant Steve Donahue's squad - was just another reminder of how things have changed on 33rd Street. Instead of cutting down the nets themselves, the Red and Blue had to watch as Cornell fans stormed Newman Arena's floor while Queen's We Are the Champions blared over the loudspeaker.
Especially with the hot start, Penn must have been playing the "what if?" game, namely, what if sophomore Tyler Bernardini hadn't sat out with a concussion? The Quakers also missed forward Conor Turley, and in fact only dressed 10 players.
(Bernardini also missed the Cornell/Columbia road trip last season with a concussion.)
With their leading scorer in street clothes, the Quakers were led by freshman Rob Belcore's 15 points.
There were no surprises as to who led the Big Red. Star junior Ryan Wittman had a game-high 25 points. In fact, Cornell's starting five outscored the entire Penn team 69-59.
That's just the kind of night Penn had.
