Lott nets 22 in road loss to Loras; IIAC leader Luther up next.

Mt. Vernon - The Rams prepare for a challenging week, facing Iowa Conference leader Luther at home Wednesday and defending league champion Central on the road Saturday.

Cornell owns a current seven-game winning streak over Luther, all of those contests decided by single digits. The Rams were swept by Central last season, but have won 13 of the last 19 in the series.

Ram review – Cornell entered the week ranked 19th nationally among 403 Division III teams in free throw percentage (76.3), although the Rams gave up several points from the foul line in a pair of IIAC losses last week.

Cornell went 30-of-51 (58.8 percent) from the charity stripe in the two games, falling 68-61 at home to Simpson Wednesday, followed by a 84-69 setback to Loras Saturday in Dubuque.

The Rams moved to 6-8 overall, 1-4 in the IIAC.

Cornell battled Simpson (5-8, 2-2 IIAC) down to the wire in a closely-contested game that featured seven ties and 12 lead changes. Two free throws by freshman David Fischer (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) put the Rams ahead 54-51 with 4:35 remaining.

Simpson spurted ahead 61-55 with less than a minute to play, but two free throws by J. Ryan Lott (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) gave the Rams a chance trailing 61-59. Simpson took control from there, hitting 6-of-7 free throws to seal the win.

Cornell finished 15-of-27 shooting from the foul line against the Storm. Simpson was 24-of-34.

Sophomore forward Rory Cotter (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) enjoyed one of his best statistical games, going for 14 points and nine rebounds, both team highs. Lott added 12 points and four assists. Reggie Greenwood (Berkeley, Ill./Timothy Christian) and Joe Newcomb (Salem, Ind./Eastern) finished with nine points apiece, with Greenwood also dishing out a game-high six assists.

Lott's 22 points and eight rebounds weren't enough to carry the Rams past IIAC preseason favorite Loras (5-9, 2-3 IIAC) on the road. Lott, the league's leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, hit four 3-point goals and recorded his 10th 20-point game of the season.

The hot-shooting Duhawks built a 50-37 lead at halftime, a margin that never dipped below nine points in the second half. Loras hit 53.1 percent from the field and held a 39-31 edge on the boards.

Newcomb collected 14 points and five rebounds. Greenwood added 12 points and five assists. Fischer had six points and four rebounds off the bench.