Men's Basketball News Releases
Rams earn national tournament berth with 58-56 victory over Wartburg
MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College's men's basketball team claimed its first national tournament berth in 15 years, surviving a 58-56 nail-biter over Wartburg in the championship game of the Iowa Conference Tournament Saturday night before a standing-room-only crowd at the Small Multi-Sport Center.
The second-seeded Rams (21-6) earned the IIAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, which begins with first-round games March 5-6. Tournament pairings will be announced Monday morning.
"The guys played their hearts out. The biggest thing has been the loyalty of this group. They just hung in there," said Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge, whose senior class won only three games as freshmen. "We went from not being good enough, to being good enough. This is a true test of their mental fortitude. It's been fun to see their progress. This is real exciting."
The Rams stepped up their defensive play down the stretch, holding the fourth-seeded Knights (15-13) without a field goal for the final 6 minutes, 13 seconds of regulation. Wartburg had three cracks at the basket to tie or win the game in the closing seconds.
The Knights had a running floater in the lane blocked by Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson), and then misfired on a 3-pointer from the wing and a turnaround jumper near the top of the key. Cole Danielson's tip-in off the final miss came after the final horn sounded as Cornell's fans stormed the court in celebration.
Cornell has qualified for the national tournament seven times, its last appearance coming in 1994.
Cornell captured its second IIAC team championship - in any sport - since joining the league in 1997-98. The Rams also won the women's tennis team title in 2001.
Cornell senior guard Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) led all scorers with 24 points, netting 20 during a spectacular first half in which he helped the Rams build a 34-23 lead at halftime. Tierney finished 9 of 21 shooting from the field and added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) chipped in nine points and Corey Dieser (Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea) had seven. Larson collected a team-high seven rebounds.
The Rams led the entire second half, although cold foul shooting allowed Wartburg back in the game. Cornell connected on only 3 of 12 free throws in final 20 minutes and finished 10 of 20 for the game. Wartburg went 16 of 18 from the foul line.
Cornell limited the Knights to 32.1 percent shooting (17 of 53). Wartburg missed its final 10 shots from the field. The Knights held a 44-30 edge on the boards.
"Our guys have been committed to a consistent effort of the defensive end," DeGeorge said. "They've really embraced it and that's been the difference."
A single free throw by Tierney gave the Rams a 58-54 lead with 4:12 remaining. Jordan Sathoff pulled Wartburg to within 58-56 with two free throws with 2:57 remaining, proving to be the final points of the game.
