The winter break period proved a disappointing one for the women’s basketball team. Though the Red (5-10, 0-2 Ivy) entered the break with a promising 4-3 record, a string of losses has caused the team’s record to plummet.
However, after such an optimistic start to the break, the Red seemed to encounter some trouble, namely with ball-handling. On the Dec. 21, Cornell played host to the University of Miami, and though the Red seemed to put up solid shooting numbers, 30 points were given up off of turnovers. Unable to recover from such a large defecit, Cornell fell to the Hurricanes, 101-62.
On Dec. 28 and 29, the Red traveled to Charlottesville, Va., for the Marriott Cavalier Classic. In the first round Cornell faced a strong Liberty team, and turnovers proved an issue yet again, contributing heavily to the 70-40 loss. In the consolation round, the Red took on Samford University, and despite an excellent performance by its freshmen players, Cornell tallied another loss, 62-46.
The Red then returned to New York to face local rival Binghamton, but departed disappointed. Throughout the game, Cornell displayed poor shooting (29.7 percent), and could not seem to close the gap. The game ended in a 74-42 loss for the Red.
On Jan. 6, Cornell returned home to Newman Arena and, in its last non-conference game of the season, played host to Bucknell. Though Cornell played well throughout the first half, the Red lost the lead before halftime and was never able to regain its momentum. The Bison were able to hold on for the 69-55 victory.
The Red then jumped right into Ivy League play, hosting Columbia on Jan. 16. Cornell fought tenaciously, but was never able to snatch the lead away from the Lions. Instead, the Lions came away with a 68-44 victory.
A week later, Cornell faced Columbia yet again, this time on the Lions’ home turf, Levien Gym. Cornell struggled offensively, shooting only 26.1 percent from the floor, and going 1-for-11 from 3-point range. In addition, Columbia forced 30 Cornell turnovers with 15 steals. With Cornell plagued by ball issues on the court, the Lions were able to defeat the Red, 68-47, with nearly the same score as the previous week.
Though the results of the Winter Break games were not what Cornell had hoped for, all the members of the team still demonstrated solid efforts. The Red was essentially led by its senior players: Lauren Benson, Allie Fedorowicz and Virginia McMunigal. In addition, many of the freshmen saw significant playing time, effectively contributing to the team in several games.
Original Author: Hannah Fillas