Women’s basketball (4-4, 0-0 Ivy) took the floor against Binghamton (2-7, 0-0 America East) and Bucknell (2-6, 0-0 Patriot) in the past week’s action, securing victories in both matchups.
On Nov. 29, Cornell faced the Bearcats in what ended up being a close game from start to end. Binghamton took a quick 5-0 lead from a jumper, layup and free throw, before Cornell responded with their first points over six minutes into the quarter.
After a Binghamton foul, freshman center Maya Watts hit a free throw, beginning a 7-0 Cornell run to take the lead. Three straight turnovers by the Bearcats led to three made baskets to contribute to the strong stretch.
While the quarter wrapped up with Binghamton leading 12-11, Cornell responded early in the second with another run. Freshman guards Rachel Kaus, Clarke Jackson and Azareya Kilgoe led the way to record six consecutive points before a Bearcats three-pointer cut Cornell’s lead to two.
Momentum was tilting towards the Red before a couple of turnovers led to a short-lived Binghamton run, as the Cornell freshman added six more points to tie the game at 25 going into halftime.
Both teams were on fire in the third quarter with Binghamton outscoring Cornell 21-20 over ten minutes. Kaus recorded eight more points to add to her total, while Bearcats’ guard Shannon O’Connor led the Binghamton attack to keep up with the Red.
The last ten minutes was a quarter full of opportunities for both teams. After a layup with 1:41 left put Binghamton up by one, a turnover by the Red led to a foul against guard Jadyn Weltz. Weltz made one of two free throws, but a clutch layup by senior guard Kaya Ingram and a successful free throw by Kilgoe put the Red up for good and secured the one point victory, 58-57.
After a short break, the Red traveled to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania on Dec. 2 to take on the Bucknell Bison. Seven points by sophomore forward Emily Pape gave Cornell a quick spark and boosted the Red to a 15-11 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kilgoe, Kaus and Pape combined for 12 of the 13 Cornell points and solidified the 28-27 lead at the half. Bucknell would take its first lead of the ballgame out of halftime as forward Emma Theodorsson hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to put the Bison up 30-28. Junior forward Summer Parker-Hall knotted the score at 30 with a putback layup after a missed three by Ingram.
After Bucknell led 45-43 at the end of the third quarter, Cornell’s hot fourth was too much for the Bison to keep up with. Ingram notched seven of her 11 points in the final 10 minutes, and strong defense from the Red completed the comeback and secured the 58-53 win.
The Red will look to add another win as they return home to face St. Bonaventure University (2-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.