Men's Basketball News Releases

Rams celebrate Senior Night with school-record 19th win

MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College's men's basketball team capped a historical regular season with a convincing 73-56 Iowa Conference victory over Central on Senior Night Wednesday in the Small Multi-Sport Center.

The Rams (19-6 overall, 12-4 IIAC) established a new school record for wins in a season and clinched the No. 2 seed in the Iowa Conference Tournament. Cornell broke the long-standing wins mark of 18, set by Coach Paul Maaske's 1960-61 squad which finished 18-6. The Rams' runner-up finish in league play is their best showing since joining the IIAC in 1997-98.

Cornell, a winner of six of its last seven games, earned a first-round bye in the six-team IIAC tournament, which begins Feb. 24 with two quarterfinals. The Rams will host No. 3 seed Loras or No. 6 seed Central in a semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 in Mount Vernon. Cornell took two games from Central (W, 62-49 and W, 73-56) and split with Loras (L, 75-84 and W, 70-54) in the regular season.

No. 4 seed Wartburg and No. 5 seed Dubuque meet in the other quarterfinal. That winner advances to play top-seed Buena Vista in Storm Lake. The championship game will be played Saturday, Feb. 26 at the highest remaining seed. The IIAC Tournament champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament March 5-6.

"We are excited to be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and host a semifinal game," Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge said. "We have been playing our best basketball over the final two weeks of the season. We look forward to the challenge of working to earn an NCAA bid."

Cornell started the game with its five seniors on the floor - Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson), Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial), Tyler Cody (Roberts, Wis./St. Croix Central), Andre Rattray (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Brady Bormann (Canby, Minn./Canby). The senior class helped rebuild a program which struggled through a 3-22 campaign as freshmen.

Tierney scored the first bucket 28 seconds into the game, giving the Rams a lead they would not relinquish. Cornell led by as many as 18 points in the first half and stretched the margin to 61-37 with 11:34 left to play.

"It was a great night for our seniors and a great night for our program," DeGeorge said. "It was very fitting that this class of seniors, who have meant so much to our program, would lead the team to a school record for wins on Senior Night. Tierney, LaDew and Cody provided the offensive spark, while Rattray and Bormann provided great defensive energy to lead the way to the win."

Tierney enjoyed a superb all-around game with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Junior Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) finished with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. LaDew and Cody scored 11 points apiece. Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) collected seven points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Rams shot 49.2 percent from the field while holding the Dutch to 33.9 percent shooting. Cornell held a 40-37 edge on the boards.

IIAC Tournament history - The Rams make their second consecutive appearance in the IIAC Tournament and sixth overall. Cornell is 2-5 overall in IIAC postseason play.

Cornell nearly pulled a first-round upset last year as the No. 6 seed, falling 85-79 in overtime to Coe in Cedar Rapids. The Rams reached the IIAC semifinals in 2003 and 2002, falling to Warburg on both occasions.

Cornell has never advanced to the title game. The Rams have hosted only one previous IIAC Tournament game, a 70-60 first-round victory over Coe in 2003.   

Iowa Conference Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Quarterfinals
#6 Central (12-12) at #3 Loras (14-10), 7/8 p.m.
#5 Dubuque (14-10) at #4 Wartburg (13-11), 7/8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 26
Semifinals
#6 Central/#3 Loras winner at Cornell (19-6), 7 p.m.
#5 Dubuque/#4 Wartburg winner at Buena Vista (22-2), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28
Championship
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, TBA