Men's Basketball News Releases
Rams raise record to 15-5 with wins over Luther, Simpson
MOUNT VERNON - The Cornell College men's basketball team clinched a winning season and climbed into second place in the Iowa Conference race with a pair of wins last week.
Cornell (15-5 overall, 8-3 IIAC) recorded a 58-50 home win Wednesday over Luther, which guaranteed the Rams their second winning season in 15 years and first since 2002-03 when the team finished 16-11.
The Rams continued their charge with a 63-60 win over Simpson Saturday in Indianola. It marked Cornell's first regular-season sweep over Simpson since the Rams joined the IIAC in 1997-98.
Saturday's win, coupled with Loras' home loss to Coe, vaulted the Rams into a tie with Loras for second place in the league, both at 8-3. Buena Vista holds a two-game lead at 10-1 with five games remaining in the regular season.
Cornell has never finished higher than third in the IIAC. The 2002-03 squad placed third with a 12-6 mark.
Cornell 63, Simpson 60 (Jan. 31, at Indianola)
The Rams raced to an 18-0 lead and got a career game from junior Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) in a key road win over the Storm.
Handke, a 6-foot-11 center, registered single-game career highs with 17 points and 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He shot 8-of-11 from the field and also collected four blocks and a steal.
Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) poured in a game-high 18 points with four 3-point goals. Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Rams buried eight of their first 10 field goals in taking a commanding 18-0 lead. Cornell led 36-27 at halftime, although Simpson stormed back to tie the score at 60-60 with 1 minute, 10 seconds left to play. A Larson free throw put the Rams ahead, 61-60, with 48 seconds remaining. Tierney and Handke added single free throws to provide the final margin.
"We got off to a great start which is key on the road," Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge said. "We did not get enough bench production which helped Simpson get back into the game. We missed too many free throws and layups in the second half and were fortunate to survive a very good Simpson team."
Cornell 58, Luther 50 (Jan. 28, at Mount Vernon)
Tierney scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half, including several clutch buckets down the stretch, to lead the Rams to a hard-fought home win over the Norse.
Cornell connected on 11-of-19 field goals (57.9 percent) and 13-of-17 free throws (76.5 percent) in the second half, although needed a late charge to preserve the victory. Luther tied the game at 43-43 with less than six minutes to play. Tierney carried the Rams the rest of the way, scoring nine points on three field goals and three free throws in the final 5:32.
LaDew got the Rams off to a quick start with three 3-pointers in the opening five minutes. He finished with a game-high 17 points. Tierney led all players with eight rebounds. Handke chipped in nine points and seven boards.
"Our senior backcourt, LaDew and Tierney, made the plays down the stretch to secure the win," DeGeorge said. "Both teams played tremendous half-court defense. This was a hard-fought victory."
Coming up - Wednesday, Feb. 4, vs. Coe (6-14, 2-9), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 7, at #10 Buena Vista (18-2, 10-1), Storm Lake, 4 p.m.
The Rams snapped an 11-game losing streak in the Coe rivalry with an 81-56 win Jan. 19 in Cedar Rapids. Cornell now seeks back-to-back wins over Coe for the first time since the 1993-94 season.
Cornell will try to avenge a 71-68 loss to Buena Vista, dealt Jan. 7 in Mount Vernon. The league-leading Beavers have won the last nine meetings in the series and are 11-0 against the Rams in IIAC play in Storm Lake.
Season wins - The 15-5 Rams are approaching the school record for wins in a season, held by Coach Paul Maaske's 18-6 team in 1960-61. Cornell has had three seasons in which it won 17 games - 17-8 in 1993-94, 17-5 in 1966-67 and 17-7 in 1959-60.
Rams in the rankings - LaDew leads the IIAC in free throw percentage (88.2) and is second in 3-point goals made per game (2.25), third in steals (1.7 spg) and fourth in 3-point percentage (41.7). Handke ranks second in field goal percentage (59.3), third in blocks (1.55 bpg) and fourth in offensive rebounds (2.25 rpg). Tierney is second in assists (3.5 apg).
The Rams are shooting an IIAC-best 47.0 percent from the field. The school record is 48.8 percent, set by the 1992-93 team.
