HANOVER — All it took was Dartmouth’s best big man getting into foul trouble for Cornell to change its plan of attack.

The Big Green men’s basketball team trailed the Big Red by just one at halftime in their Ivy League opener on New Year’s Day. Cornell, which leads all of Division I with 31.8 3-point attempts per game, was on pace to exceed that number with 19 in the first half.

But Dartmouth senior forward Dame Adelekun picked up two fouls within a minute early in the second half, giving him three for the game, and the Big Red took full advantage of a Big Green defense with its star post player on the bench.

Adelekun did not return to the floor for nearly 10 minutes, during which time Cornell scored 12 points in the paint and expanded its lead to 10. His return helped Dartmouth briefly close the gap, but it was not enough as the Big Red pulled away with late free throws in a 74-63 Big Green defeat.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Adelekun said. “Foul trouble has been a theme throughout the year. I’ve got to be smarter. Both the fouls are in my control. I know I’m a key part of what we’re trying to do this year, so I just can’t get in foul trouble.”

For the 22 minutes he was on the floor, Adelekun was easily Dartmouth’s best player, recording a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also had two steals and two blocks, including one on the first possession of the second half in which he caught a layup attempt by Cornell’s Nazir Williams. The play landed on SportsCenter’s top 10 on Monday.

After a first half in which 61% of the Big Red’s shots were from 3-point range, they attempted just nine threes in the second half, compared to 20 shots from inside the arc.

“We played a little more zone in the first half,” Big Green coach David McLaughlin said. “They took advantage of us in a couple areas. They were getting into the paint a little more than we would like (in the second half), and Dame does make a difference down there, but some of those plays we need to learn how to finish as a group.”

Dartmouth’s loss was its sixth straight; two of the Big Green’s four wins have come against non-Division I opponents. Sunday’s game was the first time they put up 60 points since their last win, a 25-point romp over Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 3.

It was also Dartmouth’s first game in nearly two weeks, thanks to a brief break for Christmas and a postponed tilt last Thursday against in-state rival New Hampshire due to COVID-19 safety protocols within the UNH program.

“It throws us off. It’s not the first time it’s happened,” senior forward Cam Krystkowiak said. “Last year we dealt with COVID. Being able to go home for a couple days, see family, work out was nice and, coming back, we had three really good days of practice.”

Krystkowiak, the son of nine-year NBA veteran and former University of Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak, started Sunday for just the fifth time this year and tied a season high with 11 points, making three of five from 3-point range.

Sophomore guard Ryan Cornish had 11 as well but was 0-for-8 from deep.

The Big Green (4-10, 0-1 Ivy League) hit the road for a back-to-back this weekend, playing Yale on Friday night and Brown the following evening. The Bulldogs won the Ivy tournament last March and advanced to the NCAA Tournament but were upset in this year’s conference opener by a Columbia team that won just one Ivy game last season. The Bears dropped their first Ivy game Monday against Penn.

McLaughlin scheduled two back-to-backs in non-conference play to prepare his team for the demands of the Ivy League schedule — Dartmouth will play on consecutive days three times during the 14-game conference slate.

“They start classes Wednesday, so there’s a lot going on for these guys,” McLaughlin said. “It’s going to be quite the challenge, but these guys have to come in hungry. Coaches have to do the work to make sure we get them the message they need in terms of film, video and what the next step is preparing for the next two opponents.”

Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.

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