One of Cornell’s all-time clutch basketball players, fifth-year Jordan Magnani provided the late dramatics again Saturday for a pivotal 77-76 Midwest Conference overtime win at Lawrence inside Alexander Gym.
Magnani sank a pair of free throws with two seconds left in overtime that won it for the postseason-bound Rams who secured a berth in the MWC Tournament Feb. 24-25. It was Cornell’s second overtime win over Lawrence this season, and Magnani logged all but four seconds in both.
Magnani beat the buzzer with a game-tying 3-pointer from deep on the left wing at the end of regulation, forcing an extra five minutes of play at 69-69.
Magnani tallied five of Cornell’s eight points in overtime, including a conventional 3-point play that pushed the Rams ahead 73-71 with 1:32 remaining. Lawrence forged back ahead at 76-75 with seven seconds to go.
Following two timeouts, Magnani took the ball and was fouled on a drive to the bucket, sending the career 80.4-percent free throw shooter to the line for the winning points.
Magnani finished an exceptional effort with a game-high 22 points, including 11-of-13 shooting from the free throw line. He added four assists and four rebounds.
The Rams, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, closed within 39-38 at halftime. It was nip and tuck the rest of the way.
Jayden Meeker hit 8-of-8 free throws and finished with 18 points. Zach Ingle netted 15 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Izic Mackey and Jeremy Durdan both scored nine points off the bench.
Earlier in the week, the Rams took a 64-74 loss to Ripon.
Magnani netted a team-high 14 points, hiking his career total to 1,567. The fifth-year guard passed sharper-shooter Griffin LaDew (1,561 points, 2005-09) for second place on the program’s career scoring chart, now leaving Magnani only behind former front-court teammate Cooper Kabela (1,647 points).
In a game that saw both teams shoot over 50.0 percent from the field, it was Ripon’s eight 3-point goals that factored into the outcome. Cornell was held to 3-of-15 shooting from 3-point land.
The Red Hawks built an early 11-2 lead and played out in front the rest of the way. Ripon used a 15-5 second-half run to stretch the margin to 61-42 with 10:58 remaining.
The Rams had three others join Magnani in double figures scoring, including Zach Ingle and Jayden Meeker with 11 points apiece. Izic Mackey and Jaxson Herring came off the bench to contribute 10 and nine points, respectively. Mackey led the Rams with five rebounds.
Ripon rode the hot hand of Jaylen Mahone, who scored 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field.