Junior guard Jayden Meeker recorded his sixth consecutive 20-point game in Cornell’s 70-58 men’s basketball setback to Midwest Conference foe Ripon Saturday at Weiske Gymnasium.
Meeker poured in a game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field to carry the offensive load for the Rams (6-13 overall, 3-7 MWC), who fell victim to large scoring runs in each half by Ripon (6-13 overall, 4-6 MWC).
The Red Hawks broke open a two-point contest with a 14-0 spurt late in the first half and led 39-23 at intermission. Cornell trimmed the margin to 41-33 early in the second half, although Ripon answered with an 18-2 run that put the game out of reach.
Meeker, who’s now averaging 22.8 points per game in MWC play, topped the 750-point mark (751) for his career, joining junior teammate Zach Ingle (787 career points).
The Rams limited the home team to 39.1-percent shooting from the field. Ripon held a 12-point advantage from the 3-point line, hitting 9-of-21 attempts. The Red Hawks also won the battle on the boards by a decisive 47-28 margin.
Sophomore Nate Jacobson matched his Cornell career-high with 15 points, draining three 3-point goals. Ingle pitched in 11 points.
Dylan Hurley added eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wallace Schmotzer grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Earlier in the week, Cornell won 77-71 against Illinois.
Juniors Zach Ingle and Jayden Meeker combined for 49 points and gave the Rams (6-12 overall, 3-6 MWC) a chance late against the defending MWC champions (17-2 overall, 9-1 MWC), who are receiving votes in the national poll.
Ingle pumped in 18 of his team-high 25 points after intermission. He buried five 3-point goals, as did sophomore newcomer Nate Jacobson, who provided 15 points off Cornell’s bench. Meeker finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Ingle’s fifth trifecta of the game knotted the score at 64-64 with 3:47 remaining. The Blueboys responded with 3-point buckets on their next two possessions and held off the Rams the rest of the way.
The hot-shooting Rams hit 11-of-23 3-pointers and went 10-of-11 from the foul line. Illinois College held a 37-28 advantage on the boards.
Wallace Schmotzer led the Rams with eight rebounds. Dylan Hurley added four assists and two steals. Ingle had three steals.
Jake Mazrimas and Buzz Ritzel scored 27 and 25 points, respectively, to pace the Blueboys.