ITHACA, N.Y. (Interstat) — Tey Barbour scored 30 points to lead Harvard to a 73-54 victory over Cornell in a men’s Ivy League basketball game Saturday at Newman Arena. The Crimson improved to 15-10 overall after pulling away in the second half. Harvard led 25-24 at halftime before outscoring the Big Red 48-30 after the break. Barbour added six rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. Thomas Batties contributed 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Harvard. Cornell, which fell to 12-12, was led by Anthony Nimani’s 18 points. The Big Red struggled from three-point range, making just 3 of 22 attempts. A crowd of 1,844 attended the game.

ITHACA, N.Y. (Interstat) — Tey Barbour scored 30 points and Harvard used a dominant second half to pull away from Cornell for a 73-54 victory in a men’s Ivy League basketball game Saturday at Newman Arena. The Crimson, who avenged a home loss to the Big Red from just four weeks prior, improved to 15-10 overall and moved above .500 in conference play. Cornell fell to an even 12-12. The game’s pivotal stretch came early in the second half. Leading by a single point at halftime, Harvard opened the final period on a decisive 20-6 run over the first seven minutes to seize control. The surge transformed a 25-24 edge into a commanding 45-30 advantage, a margin Cornell never seriously threatened. Barbour, a 6-foot-4 guard from Manassas, Virginia, was the catalyst throughout. After scoring 12 points in the first half, he added 18 more in the second, finishing an efficient 11-for-19 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range. His performance marked a significant offensive rebound after being held to 12 points in Harvard’s overtime loss to Yale a week earlier. He was supported by Robert Hinton, who added 16 points, and the all-around efforts of Thomas Batties and Chandler Pigge. Batties filled the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Pigge contributed seven points, nine rebounds and eight assists. For Cornell, Anthony Nimani led the way with 18 points, but the Big Red’s offense never found its rhythm. The team struggled profoundly from beyond the arc, making just 3 of 22 three-point attempts, a frigid 13.6%. Jake Fiegen and Cooper Noard each added 11 points for Cornell. Harvard’s defensive pressure was a constant, forcing eight turnovers and limiting Cornell to an offensive rating of just 86.9 points per 100 possessions. The Crimson, meanwhile, operated at a crisp 114.0 offensive rating, shooting 43.1% from the field and capitalizing at the free-throw line, making 14 of 19 attempts. The first half was a tightly contested, low-scoring affair defined by poor shooting from both sides. Harvard built an early 10-2 lead, but Cornell chipped away, closing the gap to 25-24 by the break. The Big Red’s inability to connect from deep was already apparent, going 1-for-11 from three-point range in the opening period. Any hope of a Cornell resurgence was extinguished by Harvard’s explosive start to the second half. Barbour scored or assisted on several baskets during the game-breaking run, which featured a more aggressive Crimson attack that generated higher-percentage shots and trips to the foul line. Cornell’s offensive woes only deepened as the half progressed. The Big Red went nearly four minutes without a field goal during one stretch as Harvard extended its lead. The Crimson advantage ballooned to as many as 21 points in the final minutes before settling at the 19-point final margin. The result defied pregame expectations, as statistical models heavily favored Cornell at home. The Big Red had entered the contest having won three of its last four, including the prior meeting against Harvard and an 89-65 rout of Princeton. Harvard now looks ahead to a critical road weekend against Princeton and Penn. Cornell will aim to regroup at home next weekend against Yale and Brown. An announced crowd of 1,844 watched the game at Newman Arena.

ITHACA, N.Y. (Interstat) — A pivotal Ivy League rematch awaits on Saturday when the Harvard Crimson visit the Cornell Big Red at Newman Arena. Harvard (14-10, 6-3 Ivy) enters looking to avenge a Jan. 24 home loss to Cornell and solidify its conference standing after a heartbreaking 76-75 overtime defeat to Yale last Saturday. The Crimson had won four straight prior to that narrow loss. Cornell (12-11, 5-4 Ivy) aims to complete a regular-season sweep and climb closer in the league race. The Big Red are coming off an 82-76 loss at Penn but had won three of their previous four, including a dominant 89-65 victory at Princeton. The first meeting, an 86-79 Cornell win in Cambridge, figures to loom large. Both key players in that contest are entering in strong form. Harvard’s Thomas Batties, who had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first matchup, is averaging 17.2 points over his last five games. He poured in 23 points in the overtime loss to Yale. For Cornell, guard Cooper Noard scored 19 points in the win at Harvard and is averaging 15.8 points over his last five outings, including a 28-point performance against Penn on Jan. 31. The Crimson have shown resilience on the road this season, with key conference wins at Brown, Yale and Dartmouth. Cornell, however, has been strong at home in Ivy play, boasting decisive wins over Princeton and Brown by an average of 23.5 points. Harvard’s defense, which held Brown to 53 points in a recent win, will be tested by a potent Cornell offense that averages 84.2 points per game at home. The Big Red must contain a balanced Harvard attack that features multiple scoring threats alongside Batties. With both teams jockeying for position ahead of the Ivy League Tournament, Saturday’s contest carries significant weight for postseason seeding. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. EST.