RIPON, Wisconsin – In a game that had major Midwest Conference Tournament implications for both teams, the Ripon men's basketball program survived a frigid shooting night to overcome Cornell in a 55-50 overtime thriller on Tuesday night inside Weiske Gymnasium.
 
After rallying back from a nine-point second-half deficit, Ripon (11-11, 8-5 MWC) now controls its destiny to make the upcoming MWC Tournament with three games remaining. In a game where the teams combined to shoot 38-of-130 from the field, Dominic Galati hit a pair of crucial three-pointers in the final minute to rescue the Red Hawks from a six-point deficit with 1:17 remaining in the second half.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior guard/forward Luke Meinholz tied a team-high with 12 points, also recording four rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore guard Seth Bunders tied a team-high with 12 points, adding nine rebounds and three assists.
• Senior guard Dominic Galati scored 11 points – including a trio of made three-pointers – to go along with three rebounds.
• Senior guard Cade Tackmier contributed seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The opening minutes were a sign of the defensive battle to come – Ripon finally got on the board nearly three minutes into the game, and Cornell (13-9, 7-6 MWC) did not find the scoreboard until the 16:13 mark. Consecutive baskets gave the visitors a 10-4 lead nearly nine minutes into the game, but a CJ Brown layup cut Ripon's deficit to one at the 8:37 mark. From there, Cornell went on a 5-0 spurt as Ripon was held scoreless for three and a half minutes. The Red Hawks cut their deficit to three on multiple occasions, but Cornell took a 23-19 lead into the half.
 
The Rams kept their foot on the gas in the second half, not allowing Ripon to come closer than four for the first 10 minutes. Leading 32-29, six consecutive points by Cornell gave the visitors their biggest lead of the night. However, Ripon scored the next five at the free throw line to climb back in it. Galati hit his first triple of the day with 2:53 left to bring Ripon within 40-37, and after three Cornell points, Galati was the hero with back to back triples in a 50-second span. The Rams missed a three at the horn and the sides went into overtime deadlocked at 43.
 
Kolby Williams made two free throws to open overtime, and Cornell's first made field goal of the extra session came at the 2:43 mark to tie the game at 47. However, ensuing jumpers by Meinholz and Bunders opened up a four-point advantage with under a minute left. The Rams made things interesting with an old-fashioned three-point play on the next possession, but Meinholz responded with a layup on the other end. Cornell had a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds left, but Caleb Leslie missed a triple and Bunders iced the game at the free throw line.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot 19-of-70 from the field (27.1%) but was 4-of-9 in overtime, while Cornell was just 2-of-9 in the extra session.
• The teams combined for 51 attempted three-pointers, though just nine were successful (five by Ripon).
• The Red Hawks were a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe in the second half and overtime.
• Ripon had a season-low seven turnovers.
• Zach Ingle led all scorers with 13 points for Cornell.

UP NEXT
Ripon hosts Monmouth at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 15 in the Red Hawks' Alumni Day game.
 
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