Cornell
College's men's basketball team claimed its first national tournament berth in
15 years, surviving a 58-56 nail-biter over Wartburg in the championship game of
the Iowa Conference Tournament Saturday night before a standing-room-only crowd
at the Small Multi-Sport Center. The second-seeded Rams (21-6) earned the IIAC's
automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, which begins with
first-round games March 5-6. Tournament pairings will be announced Monday
morning. 'The guys played their hearts out. The biggest thing has been the
loyalty of this group. They just hung in there,' said Cornell head coach
Mike
DeGeorge , whose senior class won only three games as freshmen. 'We went
from not being good enough, to being good enough. This is a true test of their
mental fortitude. It's been fun to see their progress. This is real exciting.'
The Rams stepped up their defensive play down the stretch, holding the
fourth-seeded Knights (15-13) without a field goal for the final 6 minutes, 13
seconds of regulation. Wartburg had three cracks at the basket to tie or win the
game in the closing seconds. The Knights had a running floater in the lane
blocked by
Riley
Larson (6'8''-F), and then misfired on a 3-pointer from the wing and a
turnaround jumper near the top of the key.
Cole
Danielson (6'4''-F)'s tip-in off the final miss came after the final horn
sounded as Cornell's fans stormed the court in celebration. Cornell has
qualified for the national tournament seven times, its last appearance coming in
1994. Cornell captured its second IIAC team championship - in any sport - since
joining the league in 1997-98. The Rams also won the women's tennis team title
in 2001. Cornell senior guard
Michael Tierney (5'10''-G) led all scorers with 24 points, netting 20 during
a spectacular first half in which he helped the Rams build a 34-23 lead at
halftime. Tierney finished 9 of 21 shooting from the field and added six
rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Griffin Ladew (6'2''-G) chipped in nine points and
Corey
Dieser (6'5''-G) had seven. Larson collected a team-high seven rebounds. The
Rams led the entire second half, although cold foul shooting allowed Wartburg
back in the game. Cornell connected on only 3 of 12 free throws in final 20
minutes and finished 10 of 20 for the game. Wartburg went 16 of 18 from the foul
line.
Cornell limited the Knights to 32.1 percent shooting (17 of 53). Wartburg missed
its final 10 shots from the field. The Knights held a 44-30 edge on the boards.
'Our guys have been committed to a consistent effort of the defensive end,'
DeGeorge said. 'They've really embraced it and that's been the difference.' A
single free throw by Tierney gave the Rams a 58-54 lead with 4:12 remaining.
Jordan Sathoff (6'7''-F) pulled Wartburg to within 58-56 with two free
throws with 2:57 remaining, proving to be the final points of the game.
DeGeorge
Cornell
College's men's basketball team claimed its first national tournament berth in
15 years, surviving a 58-56 nail-biter over Wartburg in the championship game of
the Iowa Conference Tournament Saturday night before a standing-room-only crowd
at the Small Multi-Sport Center. The second-seeded Rams (21-6) earned the IIAC's
automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, which begins with
first-round games March 5-6. Tournament pairings will be announced Monday
morning. 'The guys played their hearts out. The biggest thing has been the
loyalty of this group. They just hung in there,' said Cornell head coach
