After its victory against Dartmouth (7-15, 1-9 Ivy) on Feb. 2, women’s basketball (7-15, 1-9 Ivy) looked to pick up its second Ivy League win of the season as it once again faced the Big Green on Feb. 17.
Facing the only Ivy League team without a conference victory, the Red’s strong second quarter did not hold as it fell 48-44 on Saturday. With the loss, Cornell extended its losing streak to four games as it also dropped to 1-9 in Ivy League play.
The first quarter against the Big Green was all about the missed layup as the Red left six layups on the table in the early going. Dartmouth jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before sophomore forward Emily Pape’s layup gave Cornell their first points of the game. After another successful shot by the Red, the Big Green put up six straight to take a 13-4 advantage, before ending the quarter at 15-8.
Sophomore guard/forward Vivienne Knee knocked down a jumper to get the scoring started in the second quarter. Following the shot, the Red went on an electric 15-0 run, outscoring the Big Green in all categories and turning the game around. Five players combined for the 15 points, with freshman guard/forward Rachel Kaus leading the way with six points of her own.
Kaus has been a positive force throughout the season so far, coming off the bench in every game, yet coming in third on the team in scoring and first in field goal percentage for those who play over 20 minutes per game. Kaus, along with the other freshmen on the team, consistently showcases the team’s bright future.
After the Red took a 25-10 lead into the half, Dartmouth quickly rebounded in the third quarter, splashing a three-pointer 18 seconds in. Fouls then began to pile up as whistles from junior forward Summer Parker-Hall and Pape over the next two minutes put Big Green forward Clare Meyer and guard Mia Curtis at the line to shoot a combined eight shots. Meyer’s 4-4 and Curtis’s 3-4 shooting put a dent in the Red’s lead as it dwindled to a mere four points.
In the last three minutes of the quarter, both teams traded baskets, leaving Cornell with a 35-30 advantage as the final quarter approached.
Unlike the minutes before, the fourth quarter proved to be an offensive battle with 27 points being scored between the two teams. The Big Green went to the line 13 times in the final quarter compared to the Red who never saw the free-throw line.
Meyer’s freebie cut the lead to one before Dartmouth guard Nina Minicozzi’s three-pointer put the Big Green ahead to stay. Despite a strong battle in the following minutes, Dartmouth held on after knocking down more free throws and finished with a victory, 48-44.
The Red will look to finish the season strong in its penultimate home game against Penn (12-11, 4-6 Ivy) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Newman Arena. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.