Cornell’s men’s basketball program had waited nearly three full decades since winning its last Midwest Conference Tournament championship. So what was a couple extra overtime periods?
Coach Dave Schlabaugh’s Rams outlasted top-seeded Ripon on the Red Hawks’ home court, 82-79, in a double-overtime doozy of a championship game Saturday afternoon inside Weiske Gymnasium.
As Ripon’s last-gasp heave from half court fell short at the final horn, Cornell’s bench flooded the floor in celebration of the program’s first MWC Tournament title since 1994 and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Rams (19-8) will find out next week’s destination and opponent on the NCAA Selection Show at 11:30 a.m. Monday on NCAA.com.
Cornell punched its ticket to the NCAAs for the eighth time in school history. The last trip was 2009, after claiming the Iowa Conference Tournament title.
The senior-laden Rams got huge contributions from their veteran players against Ripon (18-9) in this 50-minute battle that witnessed 14 lead changes. Marcus Quirk and Cooper Kabela netted 25 points apiece, while Jordan Magnani delivered 15 points and six assists.
Junior Logan Sharp scored 10 points and sophomore guard Logan Christensen posted team-highs of 10 rebounds and four assists.
The score was tied 62-62 through regulation after Cornell forced a turnover on Ripon’s final possession. The Rams took the clock down for the final shot in the first overtime, coming up empty and extending the game to a second overtime at 68-68.
Quirk powered his way for a bucket on the block that put the Rams ahead to stay at 80-79 with 34 seconds remaining. The Rams made key defensive stands on Ripon’s final two possessions. Christensen rebounded Ripon’s last 3-point try and sank two free throws to seal the victory with three seconds left.
The Rams buried 10 3-point goals in the game, five off the hot hand of Quirk. Cornell finished 16-of-22 from the foul line, including a 6-of-6 touch from Magnani.
Earlier in the week, the Rams took a 111-97 victory over Grinnell.
Kabela delivered a rare triple-double, Marcus Quirk netted a career-high 30 points and the second-seeded Rams shot a sizzling 52.4 percent from 3-point range.
Cornell turned the tables on Grinnell, which beat the Rams 82-68 in Mount Vernon only eight days ago. Cornell’s starting senior trio of Quirk, Kabela and Jordan Magnani stepped up in a big way with 72 combined points, including 41 in the second half when the Rams took control.
Kabela had a dazzling all-around effort with 21 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best 10 assists in 38 minutes of work. Quirk, presented the MWC’s Elite 20 (Academic) Award prior to tipoff, was elite on the court with a hot 11-of-18 shooting game from the field, highlighted by five 3-point goals. Quirk also grabbed nine rebounds.
Magnani filled up the stat sheet with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He also logged 38 minutes against Grinnell’s full-court pressure.
Izic Mackey and Julian Cleary provided 10 and nine points, respectively, off Cornell’s bench. Logan Sharp and Zach Ingle added eight points apiece. Sharp had six rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Pioneers hit 10 3-pointers in the opening half and took a 54-51 lead into intermission. The Rams led 76-73 with 9:22 remaining when they broke it open with a 17-2 surge over the next six minutes. Quirk converted a 3-pointer, a dunk and a layup during the game-changing run.