Men's Basketball News Releases
Rams raise season record to 7-2
Coming up - Saturday, Dec. 20, at Concordia, River Forest, Ill., 2 p.m.
Ram review - Senior guard Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) averaged 18.3 points and went 18-of-19 from the free throw line in leading Cornell to a 2-1 mark in three home games last week.
The Rams (7-2 overall, 1-0 Iowa Conference) were dealt their first home loss of the season Wednesday, falling 76-54 to ninth-ranked Augustana. Cornell bounced back with a weekend sweep over Webster (67-60) Saturday and Maryville (73-65) Sunday.
Cornell 73, Maryville 65 (Dec. 14, Mount Vernon)
LaDew paced the Rams with 18 points, six rebounds and five steals in a comeback win. Cornell rallied from a 54-48 deficit with less than 10 minutes to play, outscoring the Saints 13-4 down the stretch. The Rams hit 12 more free throws than the guests and held a 42-35 advantage on the boards.
Junior center Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) collected eight points, nine rebounds and four assists. Joe Newcomb (Salem, Ind./Eastern) came off the bench to add seven points and six rebounds.
Cornell 67, Webster 60 (Dec. 13, Mount Vernon)
Cornell relied on a 23-point advantage from the foul line in its win over Webster. The Rams converted 26-of-31 free throws while the Gorloks went 3-of-6 from the stripe.
LaDew knocked down all 11 of his free throw attempts and finished with a season-high 26 points. He also led the Rams with seven rebounds, all on the defensive end. LaDew tallied seven points in the final minute with a 3-point goal and four consecutive free throws after Webster trimmed a double-digit deficit to 60-57 with 1:23 remaining.
Handke and Tierney finished with nine points apiece. Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) added eight points.
No. 9 Augustana 76, Cornell 54 (Dec. 10, Mount Vernon)
The Rams trailed 33-31 at intermission after shooting 60 percent (12-of-20) from the field, but cooled off in the second half as the Vikings pulled away. It was Cornell's second loss to a nationally-ranked opponent this season, also falling 80-66 to then-No. 19 Lawrence on Nov. 22 in Appleton, Wis.
Augustana broke open a seven-point game with a 19-2 run over a five-minute stretch in the second half. The Vikings held a decisive 39-20 edge on the boards and finished with 20 offensive rebounds.
Sophomore guard J. Ryan Lott (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) matched his career high with 13 points in a reserve role. He sank 5-of-6 field goals, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range. LaDew also reached double figures with 11 points. Tierney dished out a game-high six assists.
LaDew No. 5 on scoring list - LaDew climbed past Abe Tubbs (1,240 points, 1992-94), Mark Christoffersen (1,268 points, 1986-89) and Luke Feddersen (1,271 points, 1999-2003) last week for fifth place on Cornell's career scoring list with 1,288 points. LaDew is closing in on the all-time mark of 1,373 points, held by Jeff Fleming from 1983-87.
Firing from the foul line - The Rams are shooting 74.1 percent from the foul line, best in the IIAC. Cornell has made 123 free throws this season, only four fewer than its opponents have attempted.
LaDew leads the league in free throw shooting with a 91.7 percent clip, hitting 33-of-36 attempts. He has made 93 of his last 100 foul shots.
