Boxscore
ITHACA, N.Y. -- A 19-1 first half run put Cornell out in front and gave the women's basketball team its first win of the 2009-10 season, a 81-54 victory over crosstown rival Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena. The Big Red evened its record at 1-1, while the Bombers dropped their season opener.
The Cornell defense limited the Bombers to 36 percent shooting, held the visitors without a field goal for nine minutes in the first half and won the battle of the boards decisively (55-31). Senior Virginia McMunigal had 13 first-half points and ended the afternoon with a game-high 15. Senior Lauren Benson made a bid for the program's first triple-double, posting nine points, 10 assists and six rebounds before checking out of the game with five minutes left. Freshman Kristina Danielak had career-highs of 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Freshman Clare Fitzpatrick chipped in nine points and four rebounds, while Allie Fedorowicz (nine points, seven rebounds) and Allie Munson (eight points, five rebounds) also had strong floor games. Cornell assisted on 20 baskets in the victory.
Ithaca College's Jessica Farley had 15 points, while Lindsay Brown added 13 and Elissa Klie notched 11. IC struggled from beyond the arc (11 percent, 2-of-19) and from the free-throw line (46 percent, 12-of-26) in the loss.
Ithaca College was able to hang in the game early by scrapping on the boards, but the Big Red methodically started to pull away as the first half progressed. Defensively, the Big Red was solid over the first 12 minutes, limiting the crosstown visitors to 14 percent shooting (2-of-16). The lead grew to 22-7 after a pair of Fitzpatrick free throws with just over eight minutes to play in the half and to 25-7 after a McMunigal 3-pointer on the next possession. The 19-1 Big Red run finally ended when Ithaca's Brown nailed a jumper with 6:33 left, ending a span of nine minutes without a field for the Bombers.
Ithaca was able to close within six before the Big Red took a 12-point edge into the break (37-25).
The Bombers got back to within eight early in the second half on a Farley trey, but from there it was all Cornell. The lead continued to balloon, with the final margin being the biggest, as freshmen scored the final 17 points for the Big Red.
Cornell will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 20 when it faces DePaul as part of the DePaul Classic at 7:30 p.m., then will face either San Diego or Tennessee State the following day.
