MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's men's basketball team toughened up down the stretch and earned a hard-fought 77-65 Midwest Conference win over upset-minded Knox Monday night inside the Small Sport Center.
 
The Rams (14-5 overall, 9-1 MWC) reeled off their fourth consecutive victory – their second in three days over Knox (6-13 overall, 2-9 MWC) – and remained in control in the conference race with six games to go over the next 12 days.
 
Cornell stands two games up in the loss column over second-place Ripon (8-3 MWC), who the Rams host in a showdown at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.  
 
The Rams, who beat Knox by 27 points Saturday, had a much tougher go in Monday's quick turnaround that saw the Prairie Fire lead by as many as seven points early in the second half.
 
Clinging to a 59-57 lead with 4:25 remaining, the Rams finished the game with an 18-8 surge before they could rest easy. Cooper Kabela netted eight of his 18 points in the pivotal run, while Logan Christensen and Izic Mackey each hit a big 3-pointer to keep momentum on Cornell's side.
 
Christensen, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, notched his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Mackey was a spark off the bench, contributing seven points and nine rebounds.
 
Jordan Magnani continued his stellar late-season play with 19 points, eight assists and a pair of steals. The senior sank all nine of his free throw attempts, eight coming in the second half.
 
The Rams held a 10-point advantage from the foul line, nailing 21-of-28 attempts. Jordan Rayner scored 19 points to pace Knox.