The women’s basketball team collapsed in its first Ivy League game of the 2008-09 season, giving up an eight-point second half lead en route to a 47-44 loss to Columbia on Saturday. Kathleen Barry led Columbia’s offense with 14 points and also sank two crucial free throws at the end of the game to push the lead to three points. Senior forward Shannan Scarselletta paced Cornell with 17 points and seven rebounds.Eyes front: Junior guard Lauren Benson drives against St. Francis on Nov. 24, 2008. She scored 10 points against Columbia.

The women’s basketball team could use all the holiday cheer it could find over the winter break, because the holiday was anything but cheery inside Newman Arena.

The Red (4-8) was held winless in five contests, losing by an average of 17 points per game.

After a three-week respite, the Red came out flat against St. Bonaventure on Dec. 22, losing 49-70 in Olean, N.Y. The one bright spot was the performance of senior forward Shannan Scarselletta, who led the team with 14 points.

Lucky 13: Junior guard Allie Fedorowicz (13) drives against St. Francis at Newman Arena in November, when the Red was in the middle of an undefeated streak at home.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams both dropped tough non-conference games on Monday night. The men couldn’t hold on to a 13-point first half lead as St. Joseph’s used a late 11-3 run to come out on top, 71-67. St. Bonaventure trounced the women, 70-49, in their first game after a 21-day break.

St. Joseph’s Ahmad Nivins had a hot shooting night to lead the Hawk offense with 26 points and 16 rebounds including 16 points and 11 boards in the second half. Nivins also recorded seven offensive rebounds after the break. The Hawks were aggressive on the offensive glass and had a 16-10 advantage in offensive rebounds, which led to a 22-8 edge in second-chance points.

The 2007-08 season will certainly be a tough act to follow — the team captured the school record for wins, the Ivy League Player of the Year award, and not to mention Cornell’s first Ivy League title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. But with its three incoming freshman, two returning starters and one new assistant coach, this very different team is looking for very similar results.

After setting the single-season record for assists last season, junior captain Lauren Benson will again be relied on to run the Red offense.

“Lauren is an extension of the coaching staff,” head coach Dayna Smith said. “We try to give her free reign to be a leader on and off the court.”

On a roster that features only one other senior, Shannan Scarselletta will see an increased role this year not only because of her on-court play, but because of her reliable leadership for the young squad.

Last year, Scarselletta played in each of Cornell’s 29 games, averaging over 20 minutes per game.

“She was like a sixth starter last year,” said head coach Dayna Smith. “Shannan has definitely had some experience.”

Heading into last night’s game against Fairfield, senior captain Shannan Scarselletta was the only player on Cornell’s roster with a 20-point performance under her belt.

In the Red’s 58-54 win to extend its school-record home win streak to 11, Scarselletta became the only current Red player with a 20-point half under her belt.

Charging ahead: Junior point guard Lauren Benson directed the Red’s 58-54 win over Fairfield last night, leading Cornell in rebounds and assists, with seven and three, respectively.

Most Cornellians’ idea of a double-header over the Thanksgiving break was following up the turkey with pumpkin pie — there may never be a greater one-two punch in the realm of holiday feasting.

But for the women’s basketball team, it was two full servings of hard-nosed basketball as the Red took on Central Connecticut State and Bryant at the Rhody Classic. Cornell dropped its first contest before beating Bryant on Saturday.One-woman wrecking machine: Junior guard Virginia McMunigal (4) outscored Central Connecticut State in the opening minutes of Friday’s matchup, 13-5, but the early lead disappeared.

This weekend, the women’s basketball team will head to Kingston for the annual Rhode Island “Rhody Classic” tournament. On Friday, in the first matchup, the Red will face the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut St. (1-2). CCSU has had a rough start to their season, scoring an average of only 56.3 points per game behind a poor 33 percent field goal percentage, while opponents have scored 75.7 points per game and have shot 44 percent. The Blue Devils will look to several of their young players to help inspire an early turn-around, such as freshman guard Shontice Simmons, who scored a team-high 15 points and five assists in the win against Maine.

The women’s basketball team played some tight defense and continued its streak of hot shooting in a home court defeat of St. Francis last night, 59-48. With the victory, the Red evened out its season record at 2-2.

Senior captain Shannan Scarselletta, also a Sun columnist, had a stellar night in Newman Arena, with a superb statistical performance that encapsulated her “do-it-all” playing style. The 6-1 forward finished with a team-high 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.Made you look: Junior Lauren Benson (23) goes up for a layup against St. Francis last night. The Red excelled at the 3, however.

Prior to Saturday’s game against IUPUI, it had been four years since senior captain Lacey Workman played a game of basketball in her home state of Indiana. The last time she played in the Hoosier state, Workman helped lead Ben Davis High to a sectional championship. Less than a year removed from the Ivy championship, Workman and the Red lost to IUPUI 66-57 in her bittersweet homecoming.

Cornell (1-2) got out to a quick start, connecting on its first four shots during a nine-point run after falling behind 4-0. The Jaguars (3-1) mounted a quick comeback, taking a 10-9 lead before exchanging the lead twice more until the Red finally held 15-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half.