Monmouth lit up the net in the second half, but a cold first half proved too much to overcome in Wednesday's 77-69 loss to Cornell at Glennie Gym.
 
The Scots nearly turned the tables on the Rams in the second half after Cornell went 15-of-25 from the floor in the first 20 minutes while the Scots canned just 32 percent of their tries.  Monmouth heated up after the break with a 19-for-35 effort in the second half to nearly erase a 19-point deficit, scoring as many points in the first eight minutes of the last half as they did in all of the first period.
 
D.J. Swift's layup five minutes into the half ignited the Scots' rally. A 15-5 run propelled Monmouth to within four at 51-47 with 11:33 to play. The Rams briefly upped the lead to double digits before Monmouth came back again, making it a two possession game on a pair of Justin Batterton free throws on his way to a team-high 24 points with 2:08 to play. Cornell held on with a 4-for-6 effort from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds.
 
The loss drops Monmouth into third in the Midwest Conference with five games to play. The Scots host Grinnell, which sits a game behind Monmouth, Saturday in a 1 p.m. contest.