Men's Basketball News Releases
Rams improve to 9-2 with win over Central
Coming up - Wednesday, Jan. 7, #10 Buena Vista (10-1, 2-0), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 10, at Luther (4-7, 1-2), Decorah, 4 p.m.
Ram review - Cornell had four players score in double figures and stretched its win streak to four games with a 62-49 Iowa Conference triumph over Central Saturday in Pella.
The Rams, winners of seven of their last eight games, improved to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in IIAC play. Cornell equaled its win total from a year ago, when it finished 9-17.
The Rams built a 27-6 lead in the opening 10 minutes and never looked back in handing the Dutch (8-4, 2-1) their first league loss. Cornell shot 52.1 percent from the floor while holding Central to 32.1 percent. The Rams won the battle on the boards, 36-29, and doled out 10 more assists (12-2) than the hosts.
Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial), Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) and Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) paced a balanced scoring attack with 12 points apiece. Tyler Cody (Roberts, Wis./St. Croix Central) added 11 points off the bench, including three 3-point goals. Tierney collected a game-high seven rebounds and LaDew grabbed six.
Cornell took a 37-26 lead into intermission and then broke the game open with a 14-5 spurt to start the second half.
"The first 10 minutes of each half was as fine of basketball as we have played," Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge said. "We outscored a talented Central team by 30 points during those stretches and took great care of the basketball. The segments of the game following each of those runs we relaxed enough to lose our toughness defensively and we turned the ball over way too much. We have shown great poise and confidence at the end of games to secure wins and Saturday was no exception.
"Riley Larson and J. Ryan Lott played huge roles defensively and with their overall play. Tierney dominated the game in transition and Handke, LaDew and Cody made big contributions at both ends."
Battle with the Beavers - Cornell hosts defending IIAC champion Buena Vista, ranked 10th in the D3hoops.com Poll, in a showdown Wednesday of league unbeatens. The Beavers carry a seven-game winning streak into the contest and have won the last eight meetings with the Rams.
Cornell's lone two losses this season have come against ranked opponents. The Rams fell 80-66 at No. 19 Lawrence on Nov. 22, and lost 76-54 at home to No. 9 Augustana Dec. 10.
"We are excited about the challenge of facing Buena Vista as they have dominated the IIAC for the last decade," DeGeorge said. "We continue to take strides forward and it will be fun to see how we stack up. Buena Vista enjoys the biggest home-court advantage in the IIAC. It would be great to have a strong following Wednesday night from the Cornell and Mount Vernon communities to create a similar advantage for us."
The Rams conclude the week Saturday at Luther. Cornell swept the Norse in two meetings last season.
LaDew nears 3-point mark - LaDew needs only two made 3-point goals to become the school's all-time leader. The senior guard has drained 204 3-pointers in his career. Jeff Ecker (2002-06) holds the career record with 205.
LaDew is shooting 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from long range this season. He ranks second in the IIAC with 2.3 made 3-pointers per game.
