Men fall by 12 to sound Luther squad

Cornell ran off 22 of the game's final 31 points, but the offense came too late in a 67-55 home loss to defending Iowa Conference champion Luther Saturday afternoon in the Small Multi-Sport Center.

Luther took control with a 15-3 run late in the first half and made it tough on Cornell's shooters throughout. The Rams (2-13 overall, 0-6 IIAC) managed just four field goals in the first half and trailed 33-21 at the break. The Norse (11-3, 5-1 IIAC) held Cornell to 33.3 percent shooting for the game.

"Luther is a very tough, physical, well-coached defensive team," Cornell head coach Chad Murray said. "I think we were a little intimidated on offense. We struggled offensively."

Cornell was able to stay fairly close behind 25-of-31 shooting from the foul line. The free throws made and attempted were both season highs.

The Rams put the clamps on reigning IIAC MVP Dane Larson. The Luther guard finished with four points on 2-of-12 shooting.

"We were able to get to the foul line and we did a great job on Larson, both which we needed to see happen," Murray said.

Cornell junior Rory Cotter had a big second half, accounting for all of his game-high 17 points after intermission. He hit all seven of his free throws and added three rebounds and three steals. Alex Miller and Reggie Greenwood chipped in 10 and nine points, respectively.

Freshman Nick Bobb led the Rams on the glass with a season-high 10 rebounds, while adding six points. Greenwood handed out four assists.

Cornell trailed 18-16 when the Norse made their run to go up double figures. The Rams never got closer than 10 points in the second half, although made a late push after trailing 58-33 with 6:54 to go.

"We were down two points with seven minutes to go in the first half," Murray said. "We had some mental breakdowns and Luther was able to build the lead."

Coming up - Cornell plays three conference games in six days, starting with tonight's (Jan. 16) 8 p.m. contest at Wartburg (8-8, 2-5 IIAC). The Rams have taken seven of the last nine meetings with the Knights, with the teams splitting two games last season.

The Rams play host to Coe (10-6, 4-3 IIAC) at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. The Kohawks eked out a 58-57 win in the annual "toilet paper toss" affair last year in Mount Vernon. Cornell is back on the road Saturday, Jan. 21 to face Luther.

"Wartburg has the best player in the league in Jordan Sathoff (20.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg). He will be a handful for us to defend," Murray said. "Coe, I have a lot of respect for their program. They defend real well and are a scary team when they shoot the ball well."