Kentucky ends Cornell's run in NCAA tournament
By Anne Ju
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's basketball team's incredible run in the NCAA tournament ended March 25 with a 62-45 loss against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. It was the Big Red's first-ever appearance in the tournament's Sweet 16 round. Their final season record was a record-breaking 29-5.
Despite a strong start that had every Cornell fan in the Carrier Dome on their feet, the Big Red were outmatched by the top-seeded Wildcats. Senior guard Louis Dale had a game-high 17 points, a point ahead of DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky's star freshman forward. Senior forward Ryan Wittman had 10 points and senior center Jeff Foote had eight.
Lauded for their sharp perimeter shooting, which propelled them past both Temple and Wisconsin in the first and second rounds, the Big Red had trouble making shots fall against Kentucky. They shot 33 percent from the field, and were also outrebounded 41-28.
Cornell made a run during the second half, cutting the point deficit to six after being down 32-16 at halftime. But the gap never narrowed that much again. A foul fest at the end with just over a minute left sealed their fate.
At the start of the game, it was clear whose house the Wildcats had stepped into. Cornell fans showered the dome in red, drowning out the blue-clad Kentucky fans and supporting each hard-fought Cornell basket with deafening cheers. Though things grew quieter as the game wound down, the fans ended the night by shouting "Thank you, seniors" to the team's talented leadership.
Wittman said it was "kind of hard to look at" the amazing season that had just ended, coming off a disappointing loss.
"Obviously it's been a tremendous run for us," he said. "A ton of fun."
With emotion in his voice, Coach Steve Donahue said he "couldn't be prouder" of his team.
"I've been in this league for 20 years, and I have had three NBA players on one team that didn't accomplish nearly what this team accomplished," he said. "I know it sounds corny, but they love each other more than any other team in this tournament, in my opinion. That's why we're good."
He also acknowledged the support alumni, friends and others had shown the team throughout the years. He said it would be hard for the players to understand exactly what they've done this year, at first.
"They will, soon," Donahue said.
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