WAVERLY – Cornell's men's basketball team celebrated the end of the 2022 calendar year with a 73-70 comeback victory over Wartburg Saturday afternoon inside Levick Arena.
 
The Rams (4-9) rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit and made clutch plays down the stretch to secure their first road win of the season.
 
Fifth-year Jordan Magnani led all scorers with 21 points and became the fifth player in program history to eclipse 1,400 in a career. Magnani's contested left-handed lay-in pushed the Rams ahead 69-68 with less than one minute to go in regulation.
 
Cornell came up with a key defensive stop and Logan Christensen buried two free throws to extend the lead to 71-68 with 16 seconds left. After the Knights (4-8) answered with a bucket, Christensen went back to the line and sank two more free throws, increasing the margin to 73-70 with seven seconds remaining.
 
Wartburg's game-tying 3-point attempt rattled out as time expired.
 
Cornell survived a rough start to the game, falling behind 35-18 through 14 minutes. The Rams charged back in it with a 23-6 spurt that tied it at 41-41 early in the second half.
 
The Rams shot it well after intermission, hitting 50.0 percent from the field and connecting on 13-of-14 free throws.
 
Zach Ingle provided 14 points, while Jayden Meeker totaled 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Magnani came away with four of Cornell's nine steals.
 
Coming up – The Rams (2-2 MWC) return to Midwest Conference play Jan. 7 with a 3 p.m. home game against Lake Forest (4-8 overall, 1-2 MWC).