Cornell’s men’s basketball team spotted Knox an 18-2 lead and couldn’t make up the difference in Saturday’s season-ending 50-44 Midwest Conference loss at Memorial Gym.
Cornell battled back from the early deficit, trimming the gap to 29-18 by halftime and then closing within 48-44 on a Dylan Hurley jumper with 59 seconds remaining.
Knox sank two free throws with 41 seconds left that provided the final margin. The Rams had a turnover and two missed 3-pointers on their last three possessions.
Junior Zach Ingle paced the Rams with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. His two 3-pointers bumped his season total to 77, two shy of the school record.
Jayden Meeker netted 11 points and Hurley added nine for the Rams, held to 30.0-percent shooting for the game. Hurley also posted a team-high six rebounds, followed by Wallace Schmotzer with five.
Meeker (416) and Ingle (405) both eclipsed 400 points for the season.
The Rams had a tough day from the foul line, connecting on 10-of-19 attempts. Knox went 4-of-18 from 3-point range.
Knox was led by Cade Windham’s double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Earlier in the week, the Rams had a 67-58 victory over Monmouth.
Cornell’s dynamic duo of Ingle and Meeker combined for 41 points in the win.
Ingle lit up the scoreboard for a game-high 21 points and was hot from long range, canning five 3-point goals. The junior raised his season 3-point total to 75, four shy of the program record.
Meeker cashed in 15 of his 20 points after intermission and went 9-of-9 from the foul line in the second half. He also tallied seven rebounds and a game-high five assists.
The Rams built a 35-22 advantage at halftime, but needed to fend off a late rally by the visiting team after the Fighting Scots pulled within 51-50 with five minutes remaining.
Meeker responded with a jumper, followed by a conventional 3-point play and the Rams never looked back. Meeker netted 11 of the team’s 16 points during crunch time, while Ingle added four.
Hurley provided 12 points and three steals for the Rams, who limited Monmouth to 31.7-percent shooting for the night. Freshman Noah Williams grabbed seven rebounds and Logan Christensen dished four assists.
Monmouth was paced by David Williams’ double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.