MOUNT VERNON –
Caleb Leslie and
Keon Talgo combined for 30 points off Cornell's bench, but it wasn't enough in Wednesday's 105-93 Midwest Conference men's basketball loss to Grinnell inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
The Rams (6-3 overall, 2-1 MWC) were dealt their first league loss of the season, while Grinnell climbed to 8-2 overall, 3-0 in the MWC.
Grinnell, which entered with the nation's No. 1 scoring offense at 120.7 points per game, built a 75-60 lead with less than 10 minutes to go. The Rams charged back and trimmed the deficit to 89-86 on a pair of free throws by
Connor Barnett with 3:37 remaining.
The Pioneers responded with a 12-1 run over the next two minutes to put the game away.
Dylan Hurley paced Cornell with 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting night from the field. The senior also dished 11 assists – the fifth-highest total in program history – to go with six rebounds.
Leslie buried five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points. Talgo also netted 15 points with three trifectas.
Zach Ingle was the fourth Cornell scorer to reach double figures with 14 points.
Jayden Meeker added nine points, eight rebounds and five assists in only 25 minutes.
Grinnell's Gabe Garcia led all scorers with 25 points in a reserve role. The Pioneers shot 22-of-28 from the foul line, while Cornell went 12-of-23.
The teams combined for 114 points over the final 20 minutes. Wednesday marked the first time Grinnell had scored 100 points against the Rams in the last nine meetings.
Coming up – The Rams are on the road Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup with Beloit (3-4 overall, 1-1 MWC) in Beloit, Wis.
