Men's Basketball News Releases
LaDew sets school mark with 206th career 3-point goal
Coming up - Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Loras (9-5, 4-1), Dubuque, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 17, Dubuque (10-3, 3-1), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 4 p.m.; Monday, Jan. 19, at Coe (4-9, 0-4), Cedar Rapids, 8 p.m.
Ram review - Cornell came within a long 3-point attempt from sending the game into overtime against eighth-ranked Buena Vista, which survived a late Ram rally for a 71-68 Iowa Conference win Jan. 7 in Mount Vernon.
The Rams responded well from their first league loss and posted a 65-56 victory at Luther Saturday as senior guard Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) became Cornell's career leader in made 3-point goals. Cornell eclipsed last year's win total and improved to 10-3 overall, 3-1 in IIAC play.
Cornell 65, Luther 56 (Jan. 10 at Decorah)
Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) and Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) combined for 35 points on 15-of-21 shooting in guiding the Rams to a road win.
Tierney enjoyed a strong all-around game with a season-high 19 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. Handke hit 8-of-12 field goals for 16 points and also grabbed six rebounds. Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) netted 10 points and hauled in a team-high seven rebounds.
"This was a great team win against Luther," Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge said. "We were not shooting the ball well from the perimeter, but a consistent defensive effort and great offensive play from Michael Tierney and Chris Handke led the way to a quality road win. Riley Larson played a great second half with tremendous low post defense and several key interior baskets to help build on our lead."
The Rams led from start to finish, building their biggest advantage at 62-44 with four minutes left to play. Cornell turned the ball over only nine times and held the Norse (4-9, 1-4) to 40.0 percent shooting for the game.
No. 8 Buena Vista 71, Cornell 68 (Jan. 7, at Mount Vernon)
The Rams outscored Buena Vista 17-6 down the stretch, but the comeback fell one bucket short against the defending IIAC champions.
Cornell worked its way back from a 65-51 deficit with 3 minutes, 42 seconds left in regulation. Tierney buried a 3-pointer that closed the gap to 71-68 with 10 seconds remaining. Buena Vista missed two free throws with four seconds left, allowing the Rams a chance to tie it. Tyler Cody (Roberts, Wis./St. Croix Central) launched a deep 3-pointer from the wing, but the attempt was off the mark as time expired.
Larson tossed in a career-high 20 points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. LaDew finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Handke pitched in 10 points and eight rebounds.
Buena Vista (11-1, 3-0) built a 39-27 lead at halftime and then hung on despite shooting only 34.8 percent in the second half. The Beavers were led by point guard Andre Wagner, who tallied 17 of his game-high 29 points after intermission.
Three-point king - LaDew etched his place in school history after connecting for his 206th career 3-point goal with 1:04 left in the first half of Saturday's contest with Luther. The trey moved LaDew past Jeff Ecker (205 3-point goals, 2002-06) as Cornell's new record holder for 3-point goals made in a career.
In three-plus seasons, LaDew has buried 206 of 505 attempts from 3-point range, good for a 40.7 percent clip.
"Congratulations to Griffin LaDew for becoming the all-time 3-point leader," DeGeorge said. "He continues to solidify himself as one of the all-time greats to play at Cornell."
LaDew is moving ever closer to the school's all-time scoring mark of 1,373 points, held by Jeff Fleming from 1983-87. LaDew ranks fourth on the career list with 1,335 points. Jack Grams (1962-65) is third with 1,343 points and Chris Heller (1989-92) second with 1,352.
Conference race - The Rams are tied with Dubuque for third place in the league standings at 3-1, one-half game behind second-place Loras (4-1). Buena Vista sits atop the league with a perfect 4-0 mark.
Cornell enters a pivotal stretch this week with a game Wednesday at Loras and then a date at home Saturday with Dubuque. The Rams will try to end a nine-game series losing skid against Loras. Cornell has split the last four meetings with Dubuque.
