MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball opened its season with an 85-70 victory over Cornell College on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
The game started with a six-point Wartburg run to jump out to an early lead. The Orange & Black never gave that lead up in the first half.
The Knights offense was led by
Drew Olson and
Marshun Williams, who had 11 and nine in the first half respectively.
As a team, Wartburg shot 45.7% from the field in the first half and 30% from three-point range. The offense was facilitated through guard
Jack Molstead, who had seven first half assists.
The Knights outrebounded the Rams 27 to 14 with
Codey Hicks leading the way with six in the first half. The Knights forced eight turnovers and turned those turnovers into 10 points.
Wartburg led Cornell 41-33 going into the half.
The Knights came out firing in the second half and would extend the lead to 15 points early. The Orange & Black never gave the lead up and continued to hold a 10+ point lead for most the half, including extending the lead to a high of 26 points.
Wartburg finished the game with two free throws from Molstead to make it an 85-70 victory
.
Stat Leaders
The leading scorer for the Knights was Williams, who finished the game with 19 points. The sophomore forward shot 66.7% from the field and a perfect seven for seven from the free throw line.
Molstead finished the game with nine of the teams 15 total assists and added 11 points with four rebounds.
Davis Roquet and Olson both ended with nine rebounds each. Olson scored 18 points from 64% shooting and one for one on three-pointers. The senior also added two assists and made three out of four free throws. Roquet had seven points shooting two for six from the field and tacked on an assist. He was a perfect two for two from the free throw line tonight.
Wartburg shot 48.4% as a team from the field and 85% from the free throw line. The Orange & Black dominated points in the paint 44-24. The Knights outrebounded the Rams 52-26 and had an advantage in second chance points 11-2.
Next Time Out
The Knights are back in action with non-conference play on Tuesday, Nov. 16 for the 2021-22 home opener in Levick Arena against Grinnell College with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
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