Athletics - Men's Basketball

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The Cornell men’s basketball team saw its season end Tuesday night, but the sixth-seeded Rams did not go down easy in an 85-79 overtime loss to third-seeded Coe in Iowa Conference Tournament quarterfinal play at Eby Fieldhouse in Cedar Rapids.

“We played with a level of focus and intensity necessary for success,” Cornell head coach Mike DeGeorge said. “We had a number of opportunities to win the game, but we didn’t make enough plays at the end of regulation or in overtime. I am very proud of the effort in this game and the level of improvement this season.”

The Rams, making their first postseason appearance since 2003-04, finished the campaign 9-17 overall in DeGeorge’s fourth season at the helm. Cornell tied for fifth in the IIAC with a 7-9 record, marking the program’s highest league finish in five years.

The Rams did not have a senior on their squad. Cornell featured four freshmen, three sophomores and three juniors among its top 10 players.

“We didn’t win as many games as we thought possible this year, but our primary goal for this season was to create an expectation to win a conference championship next year. I believe we have created that expectation and now we have to put the time and effort in to make it a reality.”

Cornell overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half and forged ahead 65-62 on a 3-pointer by Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) with 2 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in regulation. Cornell’s Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) hit a jumper with 1:41 left that tied the game at 67-67, a score that stood through regulation.

A Tierney field goal gave the Rams a 72-69 lead early in the overtime period before Coe (16-10, 10-6) pulled way with a game-breaking 11-1 spurt. The Kohawks connected on 9-of-12 field goals in the extra five-minute session and shot 53.5 percent for the game.

LaDew paced the Rams with a game-high 24 points behind 9-of-16 shooting. Sophomore forward Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) had a strong game in the paint, recording his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Tierney finished with 16 points and five assists. J. Ryan Lott (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) and Tyler Cody (Roberts, Wis./St. Croix Central) came off the bench to contribute nine and eight points, respectively.

Cornell gave the Kohawks a battle after suffering a pair of lopsided losses (81-59 in Mount Vernon, 71-59 in Cedar Rapids) to its long-time rival earlier this season.

LaDew enjoys record-breaking campaign – LaDew shot a sizzling 94.8 percent from the foul line this season, breaking his own school record of 90.6 percent set in 2005-06. The junior guard finished 55-of-58 from the stripe and made his last 22 foul shots. Tierney also broke the school’s previous mark for free throw percentage, shooting at a 91.0 percent clip (61-of-67).

LaDew hit four 3-pointers against Coe, which moved him into a tie with Chris Heller (1991-92) for most 3-pointers made in a season with 79. LaDew’s 180 3-point attempts rank second on the school’s single-season list, 11 behind Heller.

LaDew climbed to ninth on Cornell’s career scoring list with 1,158 points and one season remaining. Jeff Fleming (1983-87) holds the all-time mark with 1,373 points.

Team leaders – LaDew led the Rams in scoring (16.7 ppg), field goals (150), 3-point goals, free throw percentage and steals (45). Tierney dished out a team-best 3.4 assists per game and was second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg). Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue) averaged a team-best 5.8 rebounds and led the Rams with 24 blocks.