INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Cornell University women's basketball team dropped a 66-57 decision to IUPUI this afternoon at The Jungle in Indianapolis, Ind. The game was a homecoming for senior guard
Lacey Workman, who played in front of family and friends for the first time in her college career.
Junior
Lauren Benson led the Big Red offense with a career-high 19 points on a 5-of-12 shooting performance from the floor and an impressive mark of 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Junior Allie Fedorwicz matched her season average with 14 points while handing out a team-high three assists and senior
Shannan Scarselletta tallied a season-high 11 points and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
IUPUI (3-1) was led by Jernisha Cann, who nearly posted a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals. Julie Whitted had a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double and Nicole James also scored in double figures with 13 points and handed out a game-high six assists.
The Jaguars held the slim 37-36 advantage on the boards and forced 23 Cornell turnovers with 11 steals, while committing just 19 miscues. IUPUI shot 39 percent (20-of-51) from the floor, compared to Cornell's 35 percent (18-of-51) and converted 50 percent from 3-point range (5-for-10), while holding the Big Red to 29 percent (6-for-21).
The home team scored the first four points of the game, but Cornell answered by connecting on its first four shots to go up, 9-4, at the 16:21 mark. During the run, the Big Red got two buckets from Fedorowicz, as well as layups from Benson and Scarselletta. IUPUI regained a slim one-point lead just three minutes later when Cann hit a jumper to make it a 10-9 game.
The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes before the Jags used a 14-0 scoring run to build a 27-15 advantage with 6:30 to play in the opening half.
A jumper by Scarselletta and a layup by Munson were both answered by IUPUI players before Cornell stormed back with a 10-0 scoring run of its own to pull within one-point, 30-29, with 29 seconds to play. The run opened as Benson buried a three from the corner as time on the shot clock expired. On the next trip down the floor, Fedorowicz hit a 3-pointer before Scarselletta and Benson converted two free throws apiece to end the run. Laura Blaydes made one-of-two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to send IUPUI into the intermission with a slight lead, 31-29.
The Jags scored the first five points of the second half to open up a 36-29 lead at the 17:57 mark. Both teams went cold for the next two minutes until Fedorowicz nailed a runner in the lane to make it a 36-31 game at the 15:58 mark. Quanisha Turner answered immediately with a 3-pointer. Once again, the offenses struggled from the floor, this time going nearly five minutes without a score from either team until Fedorowicz converted a pair of free throws at the 11:53 mark to make it a 39-33 game.
IUPUI tallied five unanswered points over the next two minutes to extend its lead double-digits, 44-33, but two made free throws by Benson stopped the Jags run. Brittany Ransom responded with two made free throws before Fedorowicz missed a 3-point attempt, but followed her shot into the lane, grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the layup. Cann answered right back with a jumper but on Cornell's next possession Fedorowicz drove the lane before kicking the ball back out to
Virginia McMunigal, who drained a 3-pointer. Scarselletta then made two free throws to make it a 48-42 game with 6:18 remaining.
A traditional three-point play by Cann and a jumper by Whitted were sandwiched around four made free throws by Benson, but James and Whitted answered with four free throws of their own.
With just under three minutes to play, Workman nailed a long 3-pointer to start a 6-0 run for Cornell that was ended by a traditional three-point play by Scarselletta to make it a 58-51 game at the 1:54 mark.
That was as close as it would get as the teams traded baskets and IUPUI made its free throws down the stretch to account for the 66-57 final.
Cornell (1-2) returns home to play host to St. Francis College (N.Y.) at Newman Arena on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
