Women’s Hoops Battles, Comes Up Short in Comeback Attempt at Cornell, 74-63

Friday, January 31

Ithaca, N.Y.

6:00 PM

Brown University

6-10,0-3Ivy League

Cornell

9-6,2-1Ivy League

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Brown	15	16	19	13	63
Cornell	19	19	18	18	74

Photo by: Eldon Lindsay/Cornell Athletics

Women’s Hoops Battles, Comes Up Short in Comeback Attempt at Cornell, 74-63

1/31/2020 9:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior guard McKenna Dale and senior guard Justine Gaziano each scored 15 points, and sophomore Maddie Mullin netted 13 points, but Brown University women's basketball dropped a 74-63 decision at Cornell University on Friday night at Newman Arena.

Starting their first back-to-back Ivy weekend, the Bears (6-10, 0-3 Ivy) whittled a 13-point second-half deficit down to four points three times in the fourth quarter – including at 61-57 with 5:57 to go – and stayed within 66-60 with 3:24 left before the host Big Red (9-6, 2-1 Ivy) held on for the win.

"We really battled tonight and competed until the very end," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "I was really pleased with our effort. We made some shots and got some stops but just not enough to pull it out. Give Cornell credit for finding a way to win."

Dale (Storrs, Conn.) netted her 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and 2-of-4 3-pointers alongside six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. She scored in double figures for the eighth time this season and for the sixth time in her last seven games.

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) posted 15 points and five rebounds, scoring in double figures for the 12^th time this year and 80^th time in her career. She now has 1,633 career points, moving into 22^nd place in Ivy League history.

Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) hit 4-of-7 3-pointers as part of her 14-point effort, knocking down three or more 3-pointers for the fifth time this season and scoring in double figures for the fifth time on the year.

Freshman guard Lexi Love (Oakland, Calif.) totaled seven points, four assists, four rebounds, and three steals while sophomore forward Ashley Ducharme (Milton, Mass.) tallied seven points and seven rebounds. Senior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) chipped in four points, five boards, and three blocks, freshman forward Dani Short (Aliquippa, Pa.) dished out four assists, and freshman guard Myla Cox (Petal, Miss.) scored her first collegiate points.

For Cornell, Samantha Widmann scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-14 field goals and 3-of-3 3-pointers while Shannon Mulroy netted 22 points on 7-of-13 field goals, 3-of-7 treys, and 5-of-6 free throws.

The Bears and Big Red shot evenly from the floor – 24-of-57 (42.1 percent) and 25-of-59 (42.4 percent) respectively – while Cornell held advantages in 3-point shooting – 9-of-15 (60.0 percent) to 8-of-25 (32.0 percent) – and free throws – 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) to 7-of-11 (64.6 percent).

In the game's opening seven minutes, Ducharme scored four points, and Gaziano, Dale, and Mullin each hit 3-pointers as Brown trailed Cornell 17-13. A layup from Cox – her first collegiate basket – kept the Bears within 19-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Baskets from Gaziano and Green and a pair of 3-pointers from Mullin allowed Brown to remain within 32-26 with 2:55 to go in the second quarter. Another jumper from Green and a trey from Dale kept the Bears within 38-31 at halftime.

In the first half, Brown and Cornell shot 42.9 percent (6-of-14) and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from 3-point distance respectively. Widmann netted 23 points on 9-of-12 field goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Another 3-pointer from Mullin and four points from Dale made the margin 44-38 with 8:13 to go in the third quarter. A 3-point play from Gaziano kept Brown within 49-41 before Cornell moved ahead 54-41 – its largest lead of the game – at the 4:14 mark.

The Bears then responded with an 11-2 run. Brown notched seven straight points behind five points from Love and a layup from Gaziano to pull within 54-48 with 2:06 to play in the third. The Bears remained within 56-50 at the close of the frame. Another Gaziano bucket capped the run, slicing the deficit to 56-52 with 9:53 remaining in the fourth.

A 3-pointer from Ducharme kept the score at 59-55 with 6:30 left, and a layup from Dale made the count 61-57 with 5:57 to play. Brown remained within two possessions at 66-60 with 3:24 to go after a free throw from Dale but could pull no closer down the stretch.

Next, Brown plays at Columbia tomorrow – Saturday, February 1 – at 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+/SNY).

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.