Chicago (7-4) trailed 36-34 following a first half which featured seven lead changes.
In the second half, Cornell (0-7) held the lead until the 9:40 mark when the Maroons took a 46-45 edge on a basket by Tim Reynolds.
Reynolds finished the game with 12 points for his fourth straight double-digit performance. He also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
A layup by Brandon Woodhead gave Chicago the lead for good, 50-48, with 8:30 remaining. Woodhead collected six assists and four steals to go along with six points.
The Maroons maintained a two- to five-point lead the rest of the way. Nate Hainje scored a key insurance basket with 23 seconds left in the contest.
Chicago shot 43.3% from the field, including a 1-for-17 effort from three-point distance. Cornell shot only 38.5% from the floor, but was 8-of-18 (44.4%) from behind the arc.
Griffin LaDew paced Cornell with a game-best 16 points, while Forrest Becker chipped in 10 points off the bench.