MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Nebraska Wesleyan battled back late after falling into an 18-point hole, but Cornell did enough down the stretch to hand the Prairie Wolves their first loss of the 2026-27 season, 62-54, Saturday evening in Mount Vernon.
The Prairie Wolves trailed by just four after the opening quarter, with Cornell holding a narrow 16-12 advantage. The Rams created more breathing room in the second, using a strong defensive effort to limit Nebraska Wesleyan to six points and take a 28-18 lead into the break.
The offensive struggles continued after halftime as Cornell closed the third quarter on an 8-2 run. The Rams then stretched their advantage to 18 points early in the fourth, putting Nebraska Wesleyan in a difficult position. The Prairie Wolves responded with a late push, cutting into the deficit, but ran out of time as Cornell kept its composure to close out the win.
Halsey Thomalla paced the Prairie Wolves with 14 points, while Mattea Kassebaum contributed 12 points, and five assists. Maddie Demke added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and a game-high five steals. Jessica Black led the team with 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks.
The Prairie Wolves will return to action next Saturday in Lincoln as they host Westminster (MO) at 4:00 PM.
