ITHACA, N.Y. (Interstat) — Jacob Beccles made a driving layup with 24.2 seconds remaining, lifting Cornell past Pepperdine 86-85 on Monday in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game at Newman Arena. The announced attendance was 684. Cornell improved to 1-0, while Pepperdine fell to 0-1.

The finish capped a game played at 76 possessions for each team. Pepperdine scored 85 points on 76 possessions, an offensive rating of 111.4. Cornell scored 86 points on 76 possessions, an offensive rating of 113.5. Cornell led 46-40 at halftime, and Pepperdine outscored the Big Red 45-40 after the break.

Cornell shot 33 of 64 from the floor, 14 of 29 from three-point range and 6 of 10 from the free throw line. Pepperdine shot 29 of 66 from the floor, 8 of 30 from beyond the arc and 19 of 28 from the free throw line. Pepperdine had 16 offensive rebounds to Cornell’s nine. The Waves had 13 assists, 13 turnovers, three blocks and 15 fouls. The Big Red had eight assists, 16 turnovers, four blocks and 23 fouls.

Alex Constanza of Pepperdine, a 6-foot-8 guard from Miami, Fla., who previously played at Spire Academy, had 25 points, nine rebounds and one block in 21 minutes. Kaspar Sepp of Cornell, a 6-foot-7, 232-pound forward who previously played at Fairmont Academy, was the Big Red’s top performer with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one block in 24 minutes. Jacob Beccles of Cornell, a 6-foot-3 guard who previously played at Constitution HS, had 19 points, two rebounds, four assists and one block in 28 minutes. Jahari Williamson of Pepperdine, a 6-foot-1 guard who previously played at Royal Crown Academy, had 13 points, five rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes. Petar Majstorovic of Pepperdine, a 6-foot-8 forward, had 15 points, three rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. Evan Haywood of Pepperdine, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who previously played at Brebeuf Jesuit, had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. Mateen Rafiq of Cornell, a 6-foot-0, 165-pound guard who previously played at Weston Ranch HS, had 17 points and one assist in 23 minutes. Anthony Nimani of Cornell, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who previously played at Platt HS, had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and one block in 28 minutes. Quinn Gibson of Cornell, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward who previously played at Winchendon School, had four points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block in 21 minutes. Ian Imegwu of Cornell, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward who previously played at Blair Academy, scored 12 points in 13 minutes.

The first half went back and forth early. Beccles opened the scoring with a layup, and Williamson answered with a three-point field goal. Majstorovic made a driving layup, and Rafiq tied the game at 5 with a three-point jump shot. Haywood hit a pullup jumper, Beccles made a three-point field goal, and Majstorovic answered with another driving layup. Imegwu and Haywood traded three-pointers, and Imegwu made another three to tie the game at 14. Constanza and Williamson helped Pepperdine take a short lead, but Cornell used three-pointers from Beccles and Rafiq plus a dunk by Nimani to move ahead. Cornell closed the half with a 46-40 lead after Rafiq made a three-point jump shot and free throw, Sepp made a layup, Mikehi Williams made a layup and Nimani made two free throws. Majstorovic made a three-point jump shot for Pepperdine just before the break.

Cornell extended its lead in the second half. Beccles made a three-point field goal, Nimani made a layup, and Sepp made a three-point field goal. Rafiq added a three-point jump shot, and Beccles made a layup to push Cornell’s advantage to 59-47. After Majstorovic made a layup for Pepperdine, Beccles made another three-point field goal, and Mikehi Williams made a tip-in layup. Sepp made a hook shot, and Rafiq made a layup as Cornell moved ahead 68-53.

Pepperdine stayed close with free throws and three-point shooting. Constanza made two free throws and a jump shot, Anthony Robinson made a tip-in dunk and a free throw, and Williamson made a three-point field goal. Constanza added two free throws and a tip-in layup, and Majstorovic made two free throws. Rafiq made a three-point field goal for Cornell, but Haywood made two free throws and Constanza made a three-point jump shot to cut the deficit. Will McClendon made a three-point field goal with 3:20 remaining to bring Pepperdine within 82-79.

The final minute produced the decisive sequence. Constanza made two free throws with 2:23 left to make it 82-80. Sepp made two free throws for Cornell with 1:28 remaining. Constanza answered with a layup and free throw with 1:16 left, trimming the margin to 84-83. With 40.1 seconds remaining, Constanza made a driving layup to give Pepperdine an 85-84 lead. Beccles then drove for a layup with 24.2 seconds left to put Cornell back ahead 86-85, and the Big Red held on.

Pepperdine’s next game is at home against La Sierra. Cornell next visits Lehigh.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Cornell 94, Pepperdine 79. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cornell with a 90.8 percent probability to win. Pepperdine had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3. The total score of 171 went under the over/under line of 164.5.