Women’s basketball played back-to-back Ivy games this past weekend, pulling off a 60-48 win over Dartmouth on Jan. 31, and conceding a tough loss to the Crimson on Feb. 2.
Cornell played a clean and effective game against Dartmouth, capping it off with 19 points in the final quarter to hammer home the win. Freshman guard Paige Engels, who recently received her second recognition as Ivy League Rookie of the Week, contributed 10 assists, and sophomore guard Clarke Jackson led the team with eight rebounds.
The team shot 52 percent from the field, their best of the season so far. Sophomore guard and forward Rachel Kaus netted 17 points as the highest scorer of the game.
The game marked head coach Emily Garner’s first Ivy League win since taking the helm of Cornell women’s basketball. Dartmouth has been the Red’s closest competitor for several seasons, as its home bout with the Big Green on Feb. 2 was its only Ivy victory for the 2023-24 year. Cornell’s last away win against an Ivy competitor was Dartmouth in February 2023.
This year, the teams will again see a quick turnaround between competitions, with the Red returning to Newman Arena to host the Big Green at 5 p.m. on Feb. 15.
With only a day to recover after their victory in Hanover, the Red traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts to face off against Harvard. The game was a nail-biter down to the last quarter. Harvard posted up as a dangerous team to face off against, ranked third in 2024-25 Ivy Standings so far with 16 wins and only three losses this season.
Cornell moved with focus during the first quarter, racking up 12 points to Harvard’s 11. In the second quarter, Harvard upped the pace and overwhelmed the Red with offensive attacks, scoring 18 more points and an additional three-pointer within the last second.
Heading into the third quarter with a seven-point gap, Harvard was determined to protect their lead. The Red worked on getting in contact with the net, scoring an impressive 23 points in the fourth quarter, but the Crimson matched them, ending the final with a 12-point lead, 60-72.
Women’s basketball will face off against Yale in New Haven, Connecticut at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Bulldog’s home court with coverage of the game available on ESPN+.
