Boxscore

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's basketball team took a 33-25 lead into the half, but couldn't hold off a surging Dartmouth team as the Big Green stole a 55-53 victory this evening at Leede Arena. In their first- ever trip to Hanover, a pair of freshmen, Taylor Flynn and Clare Fitzpatrick came up big for Cornell setting career-highs in points and rebounds, respectively.

Flynn led the Big Red with 19 points, thanks five 3-pointers, while Fitzpatrick posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Allie Fedorowicz broke out with 13 points and Lauren Benson handed out nine assists.

Dartmouth (7-9, 3-0 Ivy) was led by Brittney Smith's 22-point, 12 rebound double-double, while Betsy Williams had nine points and Faziah Steen tallied six assists.

Cornell returned to its early-season shooting form, connecting on 36.7 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent from 3-point range against an outstanding defensive Dartmouth team. The Big Green shot just 34.5 percent from the floor and was held to 27.3 percent from beyond the arc.

The Big Green held a slight edge in rebounds, 37-35, and forced 21 turnovers with 11 steals. Dartmouth turned the ball over just 12 times.

Dartmouth jumped out to an early 8-4 lead, thanks to a traditional three-point play from Smith at the 15:10 mark. Over the next three minutes, Cornell scored 11 unanswered points, getting six from Flynn and five from Fedorowicz, to go up, 15-8.

The teams traded baskets for the next six minutes before a layup by Smith brought the home team within five points, 19-14, but a trey by Fedorowicz opened an 8-2 run to give Cornell its largest lead of the game, 27-16, with 3:44 to play in the half. The game returned to being a back-and-forth battle before a pair of Smith free throws with one second left in the period made it an eight-point game at the half, 33-25.

The Big Green opened the second half with 11 unanswered points to take a three-point lead, 36-33, just four minutes into the second stanza. Dartmouth extended its lead to seven points just moments later thanks to a 3-pointer by Meghan McFee, but back-to-back treys by Flynn and Fedorowicz made it a one-point Big Green lead, 43-42, with just under 11 minutes to play. After one made free throw by Smith, Flynn connected on a pair of free throws to knot the game for the third time at 44-44.

Fitzpatrick made two free throws to return a two-point lead to Cornell, but the lead was short-lived as Williams connected on three straight free throws to put the home team up, 47-46, with 5:43 remaining in the contest.

A 3-pointer by Flynn put the Big Red back on top, but Margaret Smith hit a layup on Dartmouth's next trip down the court to tie the game at 49-49. Brittney Smith put the Big Green back up by two with a jumper in the paint, but Allie Munson tied the game again with a layup.

The teams traded free throws over the final 1:37, with Cornell taking its last lead, 53-52, on a pair of makes from the charity stripe by Fedorowicz with 1:15 to play.

Cornell (5-11, 0-3 Ivy) is back in action tomorrow night, as it travels to Cambridge to take on Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.