MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – In a game that was close throughout, the Ripon men's basketball program fell 64-58 at Cornell on Saturday afternoon inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
Trailing by three with under 20 seconds left, Ripon (8-11, 5-5 MWC) committed a turnover and couldn't corral a defensive rebound as Cornell (13-6, 7-3 MWC) ended the game on a 6-0 run.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Junior forward Kolby Williams led Ripon with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
• Senior guard Cade Tackmier added 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
• Junior guard CJ Brown contributed 10 points with two made three-pointers.
• Senior guard Dominic Galati scored seven points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists.
• Sophomore guard Seth Bunders tallied seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon came out strong, opening the game on a 7-0 run. However, Cornell responded with the next seven points, tying the game nearly six minutes in. Each team then went on a 5-0 run, and from there the largest lead on either side was seven for the rest of the half. Ripon scored six consecutive points to pull in front 23-18 with 6:48 left in the stanza, and five consecutive points from Tackmier put Ripon ahead 28-21 three minutes later. Cornell scored six of the final eight points in the frame, and Ripon held a slim 30-27 edge at halftime.
 
Ripon held momentum in the opening moments of half two, grabbing a 39-32 advantage following a triple by Brown. However, the Rams went on an 8-0 spurt in the ensuing moments for their first lead of the half (40-39). Six consecutive Cornell gave the hosts a 46-41 lead with 13:32 remaining in the game, though a Tackmier jumper tied the game at 50. Ripon endured a drought of three and a half minutes as Cornell took a four-point lead with under six and a half minutes remaining in the game. The sides went back and forth from there, and a Brown jumper tied the score at 58 with 1:22 left. Trailing by three with 24 seconds left, Ripon could not convert and the Rams iced the game on the offensive glass and at the free throw line, scoring the final six points of the contest.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot 39.7% from the floor (25-of-63) while Cornell was only 21-of-62 from the field (33.9%).
• The teams combined for 49 three-point attempts, though just eight were made (five by Ripon).
• Cornell was 19-of-29 from the free throw line, while Ripon had just four free throw attempts.
• There were nine ties and five lead changes throughout the game.
• Jayden Meeker led all scorers with 19 points for Cornell.

UP NEXT
Ripon stays on the road next week, traveling to Beloit for a 7:30 p.m. start on Wednesday, February 5.
 
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