Saturday saw the final home game for the Scots in the regular season and for some, their last home game at Monmouth honored the seniors who have contributed so much to the program. After the formalities, it was game time and the Scots struggled early as Ripon controlled the tempo of the game, making more shots and seemingly outworking the home team. The Scots struggled to close the gap on Ripon, despite the fine 3-point shooting of senior Tray Swearingen. The Red Hawks took a 20-30 lead into the halftime break.
The second half saw more of the same with nothing going right for the Scots as they struggled to take care of the ball under relentless pressure from Ripon. Despite consecutive scores form DJ Swift and Justin Batterton, the Scots could not close the gap and ended up losing 50-76. Senior Tray Swearingen starred for the Scots with 30 points comprised of 8 three pointers.
Tuesday night, the Scots looked to put their season back on track with a crucial matchup away at Cornell College. A strong performance in the first half saw the Scots take the lead into the main break 42-32. Cornell came out firing however, in the second half taking the lead. The Scots then went on a 9-2 run to assume a 64-57 lead with just under six minutes to play. The Rams rallied and took the game to overtime despite some strong performances by DJ Swift and Justin Batterton, who both finished the game with 17 points, respectively. The Scots were unable to keep up with the home team as they led all though the extra period to win 76-72.
This leaves the Scots with a tough challenge as they must win at St. Norbert on Saturday to secure a playoff berth.
Kieren Marshall - Contributing Writer