JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The 1-2 combination of
Jake Mazrimas and
Buzz Ritzel proved to be too much for Cornell as Illinois College defeated the Rams, 77-71, and recorded the 1,000th win in the history of the program on Tuesday at Sherman Gymnasium.
The win allowed IC to remain alone in first place in the Midwest Conference standings with a 9-1 record in league play and a 17-2 slate overall. Cornell dropped to 3-5 and 6-12.
Mazrimas scored 27 points and dished out five assists to go along with his five rebounds. Ritzel poured in 25 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Austin Robinson came off the bench to grab eight rebounds for the victors as well.
The Rams lead through the early portion of the game thanks to a 10-0 run that gave them a 12-6 advantage. IC roared back later in the half with an 11-0 run of its own to move in front, 29-19. The Blueboys led 38-30 at halftime.
Cornell got right back into the game with a hot shooting stretch and holding the Blueboys scoreless for over six minutes. When IC finally scored, the Rams had taken the lead at 41-39.
The game was tied at 64 with 3:47 left when Ritzel drilled a three-pointer and Mazrimas added a jumper. IC never trailed from that point on to seal the victory.
IC returns to Sherman Gymnasium Saturday to host Grinnell in a match-up of the top two teams in the conference standings.
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