MOUNT VERNON – Zach Ingle and Jayden Meeker combined for 28 second-half points, fueling Cornell's men's basketball team to a 67-63 comeback victory over visiting Wartburg Monday night inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
The Rams (3-10) rallied from a 10-point deficit early in the second half and sank four free throws in the closing seconds to secure their first home win of the season.
 
Ingle finished with a career-best 25 points on his 21st birthday. The junior was an efficient 9-of-16 shooting from the field and knocked in four 3-pointers while also collecting five rebounds.
 
Meeker netted 13 of his 17 points after intermission and added four assists and a pair of blocked shots. Dylan Hurley also reached double figures scoring with 12 points.
 
The Rams got a big boost from 6-foot-8 junior Wallace Schmotzer, who registered a game-high 11 rebounds in his first collegiate start. Cornell outrebounded the Knights (2-9) by a 37-29 margin.
 
Cornell climbed out of a 37-27 hole with less than 19 minutes to go in regulation. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Ingle and Meeker started Cornell's comeback, which saw the Rams regain the lead at 48-47 on a Julian Cleary layup.
 
The Rams built their biggest lead at 63-56, although needed clutch foul shooting late after the Knights pulled within 63-61. Meeker and Ingle both drained both ends of 1-and-1 opportunities in the final 27 seconds to put the game away.
 
Cornell shot 55.6 percent from the field during its 40-point second half. The Knights were limited to 41.2-percent shooting for the game.
 
Coming up – Cornell (0-4 MWC) returns to Midwest Conference action Jan. 6 with a 2 p.m. home matchup against Lake Forest (3-7 overall, 1-2 MWC). The Rams dropped the first meeting, 63-59, on Dec. 2.