Cormier Sparks Rally, Seals Men’s Basketball Win At Cornell
ITHACA, N.Y. – Dylon Cormier scored seven-straight Loyola University Maryland points with less than five minutes remaining in regulation to spark a Greyhounds’’ rally, and the senior guard then stripped the ball from a Cornell University player and made a clinching free throw to seal a 93-89 overtime non-conference victory.
Cornell (0-2 overall) led 73-66 when Robert Hatter hit a basket with 5:42 left in regulation, and Loyola (2-0) had not scored since the 10:12 mark in the half.
Cormier, however, made a twisting layup and was fouled at 4:42, hitting the free throw to complete the traditional 3-point play. He then made layups on the next two possessions to pull Loyola even at 73-73 with 3:49 on the clock.
Dwight Tarwater gave Cornell a two-point lead with a paint bucket at 3:33, but Jarred Jones scored 25 seconds later to tie the score again.
Loyola held the Big Red scoreless for the next several minutes, and Eric Laster gave the Greyhounds a 78-75 advantage at 2:15. Neither Loyola, nor Cornell scored again until Cormier made a free throw with 25 seconds left in regulation, pushing the lead to 78-75.
Hatter, however, made a driving layup at the 17.1 mark to pull Cornell within a point, and he then knocked down two free throws with 3.5 ticks on the clock – after missing his previous five attempts from the charity stripe – to tie the score at 79-79, forcing overtime.
Cornell led 85-83 when Tarwater made 1-of-2 at the line, but Jordan Latham tipped in a ball from five feet out to tie the score with 2:07 in overtime.
Cormier then was fouled on his way to the basket and made both free throws to put Loyola in front, a lead they would not relinquish.
The senior guard, who scored 31 points on Friday night in a Loyola win at Binghamton University, tallied his first career double-double with career-highs of 34 points and 11 rebounds. Seven of his boards were on the offensive glass.
Tarwater made it 87-86 Loyola with a free throw at 1:27, but Cormier then hit a three from the top of the perimeter to push the advantage to 90-86. After a missed Hatter layup, R.J. Williams hit two at the free-throw line for Loyola, and it was a six-point lead.
Cornell, however, had one more rally attempt, as Tarwater knocked down a three from the right corner, closing the gap to 92-89.
The Big Red fouled Williams with 23 ticks on the clock, but he missed both free throws, and it remained a one-possession game. Cormier came through on the defensive end, following the missed shots, stripping Nolan Cressler of the ball as he gathered himself for a 3-pointer from the top of the perimeter.
Cormier corralled the loose ball and was fouled, hitting 1-of-2 free throws with 13.9 remaining to seal the win. In addition to his 34 points and 11 rebounds, he had three steals and an assist.
Hatter nearly matched Cormier’s point total, finishing with a career-best 32 points. Tarwater added 21 to go with 11 rebounds, and Cressler tallied 14 for the Big Red.
Laster and Latham both had 10 points, and Latham also pulled down a career-best seven rebounds to go with two blocked shots.
Jarred Jones added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Loyola, and Nick Gorski scored seven in his second career game. Williams scored seven and had a game-best six assists.
Loyola wrapped up its Upstate New York road trip with a pair of wins and is 2-0 for the first time since the start of the 2005-2006 season.
The Greyhounds have nearly a week off before playing again. They will host Fairfield University on Saturday, November 16, at 8 p.m. in a game that will air live on MASN and SNY.
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