Murray celebrates two conference wins, birth of baby girl

Two Iowa Conference wins wrapped around a newborn baby. Not a bad week for head coach Chad Murray and his Cornell College men's basketball team.

The Rams snapped an 11-game slide with a 55-49 comeback win over league leader Luther Wednesday night in Decorah. Coach Murray bailed out early of the next day's practice, and by 2:50 a.m. Friday, he and his wife Jena were celebrating the birth of their first child, a girl. Some 30 hours later, Murray was back on the sideline guiding the Rams to a 75-72 victory at home Saturday over defending IIAC champion Central.

“I couldn't have asked for a better week personally or professionally,” Murray said. “It was awesome.”

The young Rams (8-15 overall, 3-11 IIAC) put to rest six weeks of close defeats with a statement win against Luther (15-8, 12-3), which has claimed at least a share of the IIAC regular-season crown. Cornell held the Norse to 32.3 percent shooting and a season-low point total.

Cornell overcame a 36-26 deficit against Luther with 11 minutes to go. The Rams charged back with a 14-2 run and then stamped the upset with key shots down the stretch.

Sophomore Alex Miller (Mesa, Ariz./Westwood), who netted a game-high 17 points, buried a 3-pointer that put the Rams ahead 49-44 with 1:27 remaining. Miller and J. Ryan Lott (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) combined to make six consecutive free throws in the final 29 seconds to preserve the win.

“That was a great win Wednesday against the top team in the conference,” Murray said. “It was by far our best defensive game of the season. We made plays to win the game. We've been put in that position many times before and failed. It was nice to see our guys succeed.”

Miller hit 5-of-8 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, and went 5-of-5 from the foul line. Lott finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists while playing all 40 minutes. Rory Cotter (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) added 10 points.

The Rams outscored Luther by nine points from the foul line and held a 34-20 edge in points in the paint.

Hot shooting early and clutch play late carried the Rams to a tight win over Central (12-11, 8-7), avenging a seven-point loss to the Dutch earlier this season in Pella.

Cornell shot a sizzling 62.1 percent (18-of-29) in the first half to take a 43-35 lead. The Rams led by as many as 10 points in the second half, although had the margin cut to 70-69 with 43 seconds to go. Lott hit two free throws to push the lead to 72-69. Joe Newcomb (Salem, Ind./Eastern) then rebounded an errant Central shot, was fouled and canned both free throws to put the game out of reach.

“Our kids were motivated and wanted to redeem themselves after losing at (Central's) place,” Murray said. “J. Ryan and Joe, our two seniors, made big free throws when we needed them.

“Those two games are reflective of who we are and what we are about. It's a shame it took so long to figure it out.”

The Rams had five players score in double figures, getting 17 points apiece from Lott and Miller. Newcomb finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Cotter had 11 points and seven boards. Freshman Reggie Greenwood (Berkeley, Ill./Timothy Christian) contributed 10 points, six assists and five steals.

Cornell committed only 10 turnovers while pressuring the Dutch into 21. Central shot 54.3 percent for the game.

Final week – Cornell concludes the season with a home game Wednesday against Loras, followed by a trip to Simpson in Saturday's finale.

The Rams look to avenge earlier losses to Loras (84-69) and Simpson (68-61). Both opponents are tied for sixth place in the league standings at 6-8, and battling for the sixth and final postseason tournament berth.

Lott nears milestone – Lott needs 13 points in his final two games to become the 20th member of Cornell's 1,000-point club. Lott has a good chance to do it in his last home contest Wednesday, when he and Newcomb will be honored on Senior Night.

Lott is averaging 17.7 points per game this season. He is dead even with Wartburg's Jordan Sathoff and Cole Danielson for the IIAC scoring lead.

IIAC rankings – Greenwood enters the final week of regular-season play as the league leader in 3-point percentage (45.5). The rookie point guard is second in the IIAC with 90 assists, just two behind Loras' Connor Mooney.