Jayden Meeker poured in a career-best 27 points, although the Rams couldn’t knock off Beloit from the ranks of Midwest Conference unbeatens in Saturday’s 70-60 men’s basketball loss inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
Meeker helped keep the Rams within striking distance, netting 14 points after intermission. The 6-foot-4 junior guard finished 13-of-22 shooting from the field and also collected five rebounds, four assists and three steals in a superb performance.
Beloit made its hay from the foul line, hitting 22-of-36 attempts. The Rams made 4-of-10 free throws, including 1-of-6 in the second half.
The Buccaneers won the battle on the boards, 46-29, and snapped a five-game series losing streak against the Rams.
Cornell trailed 31-30 at halftime and pulled within 56-52 on a Dylan Hurley putback with less than five minutes to go. Beloit scored on its next three possessions to build the lead back to 63-52 and held on from there.
Junior Jaxson Herring had a solid game for the Rams with eight points, eight rebounds and three steals. Zach Ingle hit three 3-pointers and finished with 10 points. Hurley added five rebounds.
Beloit was paced by Azeez Ganiyu’s double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Earlier in the week, the Rams lost to Grinnell 98-84.
Grinnell pushed forward with a 15-4 run down the stretch to build a 79-66 lead and didn’t look back. The Pioneers prevailed for only the second time in the last six meetings with Cornell.
Junior Charlie Robinson came off the bench and tossed in a career-high 19 points to lead four Cornell scorers in double figures. Jaxson Herring equaled his best scoring total as a Ram with 16 points, while Jayden Meeker and Dylan Hurley added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Robinson buried three 3-point goals and went 6-of-7 from the foul line. The Rams hit 19-of-23 free throws on the night.
Hurley dished five assists. The Rams received five rebounds apiece from Herring and freshman Max Markgraf.
The Pioneers shot 14-of-40 from 3-point land and got 53 points from their bench. Gabe Garcia led Grinnell with 29 points.