The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/womens-basketball/page/2/)
As part of the University’s announcement that campus would move to alert level red, Cornell announced Tuesday morning that the men’s and women’s basketball games scheduled for Sunday at Newman Arena were canceled.
“I was so excited to finally have a real season and settle into a routine here at Cornell,” said junior guard Olivia Snyder. “Even though we are a new group, I have full confidence in my teammates and our ability to win as a team.”
Awaiting its first game since March 7, 2020, Cornell women’s basketball marked its return to the floor with a dominant 53-32 victory over Colgate on Nov. 10.
After three consecutive home wins to begin the season, the Red will look to extend its streak when the team hosts Drexel (3-2) on Saturday. Cornell has not won its first four home games since the 2003-2004 season. “We feel that we need to defend our home court and use that advantage to its full potential,” said senior forward Nicholle Aston. “We know the space and are confident here the most.”
In six previous meetings all-time, Cornell (5-2) has never defeated the Dragons, with the last game between the two resulting in a 62-53 Drexel win in 2014. “This game is our biggest test thus far,” Aston said.
Despite playing a closely contested game, Towson guard Raven Bankston’s 30-point performance was simply too much for the Red to overcome, and ultimately the Tigers were able to outlast Cornell, 68-63, handing the Red its first loss of the year.
The all-senior starting five accounted for 61 of the Red’s 70 points in the win, Cornell’s third straight to start the season.
Despite trailing at halftime in each of its first two games, Cornell was able to pull out closely contested victories against New Hampshire and Loyola to open the season. Head coach Dayna Smith said she has relied on her seniors this year, comprising the entire starting lineup. “Our seniors are going to lead this team all year,” Smith said. “They have earned it, and have been through all types of games, and they are great role models for our younger players, so I hope we can ride our seniors all season long.”
Against New Hampshire (0-1), the Cornell trailed by double-digits for nearly the entire first half; however, the Red (2-0) was able to go on a 6-0 run in the final two minutes of the second quarter to cut the deficit to three at the half. “I think that since most of us are seniors, we understand that we are able to bounce back from a 10-point deficit, and we showed that tonight,” said senior guard Megan LeDuc.
For the first time in history, the Ivy League will host a four-team tournament to determine the conference’s NCAA tournament bid. The first tournament will be held next season in Philadelphia.
The Red were defeated by Yale and Brown on the road, failing to end their season on a high note. But the team is now motivated to work hard going into the offseason.
The Cornell women’s basketball team had a weekend of highs and lows as the team hosted Penn and Princeton for two very special nights. On Friday, the Red welcomed the Quakers, who entered the contest second in the league. The Quakers had previously beat the Red, 65-50, in the last meeting in Philadelphia.