Men's Basketball News Releases
Rams roll past rival Kohawks, 81-56
MOUNT VERNON - Cornell's men's basketball team celebrated a record-setting night by senior guard Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) and a landmark win over the Coe Kohawks, 81-56, in Iowa Conference play Monday night at Eby Fieldhouse in Cedar Rapids.
LaDew became the school's all-time scoring leader with 1,381 points, breaking the 22-year old mark of 1,373 held by Jeff Fleming. LaDew's game-high 21 points steered the Rams to their first win over Coe since Feb. 25, 2003, ending a string of 11 consecutive losses in the rivalry. The rout was Cornell's largest margin of victory over the Kohawks since Jan. 8, 1994 (77-51).
"This was a great night for our program," Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge said. "It took a complete team effort."
The Rams (12-4 overall) remain in the thick of the conference race with a 5-2 mark in league play, one game behind IIAC leader Buena Vista (14-2, 6-1). Loras stands one-half game ahead of the Rams at 6-2. Wartburg, which Cornell hosts Wednesday, is tied with the Rams at 5-2.
Cornell 81, Coe 56 (Jan. 19, at Cedar Rapids)
The Rams controlled the game on both ends of the floor and rolled to their first win over Coe (4-12, 0-7) in Cedar Rapids since the 2001-02 season.
LaDew paced the Rams with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range. Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Tyler Cody (Roberts, Wis./St. Croix Central) came off the bench to score a season-high 13 points, hitting 6-of-8 field goals.
Cornell outscored the Kohawks 43-25 in the second half while shooting 58.6 percent in the final 20 minutes. The Rams held Coe to 29.2 percent shooting in the second half and owned a 37-30 advantage on the boards for the game.
"We played with tremendous defensive intensity and survived some early foul trouble," DeGeorge said. "Tyler Cody, Matt Lewis and Andre Rattray came off the bench to give us a real lift to build a lead in the first half. We committed only 11 turnovers against Coe's pressure, which was a key to our success."
Cornell 71, Dubuque 60 (Jan. 17, at Mount Vernon)
Tierney was one rebound shy of a double-double as the Rams shut down an athletic Dubuque squad at home.
Tierney tallied 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. LaDew and Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) shared team-high scoring honors with 15 points apiece. Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) was the fourth Ram to reach double-figures scoring with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Corey Dieser (Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea) led all players with four assists.
"Tierney played tremendous defense on one of the best scorers in the league and controlled the game on the offensive end," DeGeorge said. "Chris Handke and Riley Larson played great at both ends. Griffin hit some key baskets and did a great job of finding open teammates. This was the response we needed after a disappointing effort at Loras."
The Rams shot a sizzling 57.8 percent from the floor while holding the Spartans (10-5, 3-3) to 36.7 percent. Cornell (17-of-28) attempted 19 more free throws than Dubuque (7-of-9).
Loras 84, Cornell 75 (Jan. 14, at Dubuque)
The Rams rallied from 13 points down in the second half to tie the game at 70-70, but the comeback fell short in the final minute.
"Despite a very disappointing defensive effort, I was proud of how hard we fought to stay in the game and tie it down the stretch," DeGeorge said. "Unfortunately, we could not make enough plays to win the game. Loras is extremely talented and well coached. We will not beat teams of this quality unless we give our best defensive effort. This is a game we need to learn from."
Cornell misfired on a game-tying 3-pointer with 38 seconds to play. Loras then put the game away with six consecutive free throws.
Tierney paced the Rams with a season-high 22 points to go along with four assists. Larson chipped in 19 points and seven rebounds. Handke and LaDew finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
"Riley played the most complete game of his career," DeGeorge said. "He played great defense on an all-conference player, rebounded and scored inside and out."
Cornell (50.8 percent) and Loras (51.6) both shot well from the field. The difference was on the boards, where the Duhawks held a commanding 40-25 advantage in rebounds. Loras finished with 15 offensive rebounds.
Coming up - Wednesday, Jan. 21, Wartburg (9-6, 5-2), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 24, at Dubuque (10-6, 3-4), Dubuque, 4 p.m.
Hot hands - The Rams have shot lights out from the field over the past month and lead the IIAC in field goal percentage at 48.3. Cornell has shot over 50 percent in five of its last seven games, including the last three contests against Loras (50.8), Dubuque (57.8) and Coe (51.7).
Cornell is also getting it done on the defensive end. The Rams rank second in the league in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting. In the last six games, Loras is the only team to shoot over 40 percent against the Rams.
Rams in the rankings - LaDew leads the IIAC in free throw percentage (88.1) and steals (2.0 spg) and is fourth in 3-point goals made per game (2.0). Handke ranks second in field goal percentage (61.0) and fourth in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Tierney is third in assists (3.4 apg).
