NEW YORK – The Cornell women's basketball team dropped a 47-44 heartbreaker to Columbia this afternoon at Levein Gym in New York City. The Big Red held an eight-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the contest, but managed just a single-point over the closing minutes as it fell to 4-9 on the season.

 

Cornell was led by Shannan Scarselletta with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Laruen Benson scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists. Virginia McMunigal tallied seven points and Lacey Workman added five rebounds.

 

Columbia (8-7, 1-0) was led by Kathleen Barry with 14 points, while Judie Lomax and Sara Yee added nine points apiece. Lomax also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.

 

The Lions held the slight 34-33 advantage on the boards and turned the ball over one time less than the Big Red (24-23), but shot just 34 percent from the field, while Cornell connected on 39.6 percent from the floor.

 

The teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the game with 3-pointers from Lacey Workman and Lauren Benson helping the Big Red take the early 8-6 lead at the 16:00 mark. A driving floater in the lane by Yee knotted the game at 8-8 coming out of a media time out but Benson found Doyle on the next possession for a four-foot jumper in the lane to return the lead to Cornell. A steal and a layup on the other end by Fedorowicz extended the visitors lead to four, 12-8.

 

Neither team managed to score for the next several minutes, but one play by Lomax brought the home team within one as she hit a free throw, then grabbed a rebound off her own miss on the second attempt and found Barry all alone under the basket for the easy bucket. Allie Munson got her first points of the game on the next possession, but Lomax answered right back with a driving layup to once again make it a one point game, 14-13.

 

Cornell used a 10-3 scoring run over the next five minutes, thanks to five points each from Benson and McMunigal, to build a 24-16 advantage at the 6:54 mark. Columbia turned up the defensive pressure and pulled back into the contest with pair of free throws by Yee and a jumper from the left elbow by Barry. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way and Cornell took the 27-24 advantage into the intermission.

 

A jumper by Barry opened the second half, but back-to-back layups by Scarselletta gave the Big Red the early 31-25 lead. A layup by Lauren Dwyer ended the mini-run, but Scarselletta answered right back with a layup before a jumper by McMunigal from the right wing made it a 35-27 game at the15:48 mark.

 

Columbia used an 8-2 scoring run over the next five minutes to cut Cornell's lead to 37-35, before back-to-back jumpers by Scarselletta and Benson gave the Big Red some breathing room, making it a 41-35 game at the 8:12 mark.

 

Scarselletta pushed the Cornell lead to 43-35, before a jumper by Barry started a 10-0 scoring run to give Columbia its first lead since the 16:22 mark of the opening half, making it a 45-43 game with 2:01 to play.

 

Columbia had the ball with time running down but after a Dwyer miss Benson grabbed a crucial rebound while on her knees to give the Big Red the possession with 20 seconds to play. Cornell called a time out to set up a final possession in regulation and a foul by Lomax, her fifth of the game, sent her to the bench and Scarselletta to the line with 11 seconds to play in the contest. After her first shot rattled off the rim, Scarselletta sank the second to make it a one-point game. A Big Red foul on the other end sent Barry to the line, where she made both, to account for the 47-44 final.

 

The Big Red will return to Ithaca to play host to Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1:30 p.m.