Box Score Box Score

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Big Red women's basketball team erased a nine-point halftime deficit and took a late lead, but could not hold on as it fell to Bucknell, 54-45, this afternoon at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa. The Big Red took a one-point lead with just over five minutes to play, but the Bison closed the game on a 10-0 run to deny Cornell the victory.

The forward duo of Clare Fitzpatrick and Kristina Danielak each finished with 11 points and five rebounds to lead the Big Red. For Danielak, the 11 points matched a career-high. Guards Stephanie Long and Taylor Flynn finished with six points apiece, while Allyson DiMagno ended the game with a team-high six rebounds.

Bucknell (3-8) was led by Rachel Voss' 13 points, while Joyce Novacek finished with a game-high 12 rebounds. Shelby Romine and Taylor Phillips chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.

After a slow start, Cornell improved its shooting significantly in the second half to finish at 31 percent overall, while the Bison shot 34.4 percent for the game. Both teams finished with an identical 3-of-16 performance from beyond the arc (18.8 percent).

Cornell (1-9) forced 22 Bucknell turnovers with 12 steals, including three each from Fitzpatrick and Shelby Lyman, while turning the ball over just 16 times. The Big Red also shared the ball particularly well, assisting on 15-of-18 baskets.

Fitzpatrick opened the game with a layup on the Big Red's first possession and then took a charge on the other end to get things off to a good start for the visitors, but turnovers on Cornell's next two trips down the court put Bucknell up, 5-2.

The Bison extended their lead to 12-2 before Flynn passed out of a double-team, finding Danielak all alone in the lane for the easy lay-in at the 14:18 mark.

Fitzpatrick cut Bucknell's lead to five points, 12-7, with a traditional three-point play when Long found her in the lane on a fastbreak off a Bison miss.

A deep jumper from Alyssa Dunn ended the Cornell run and began a 6-2 Bucknell run to put the home team up, 18-9, with 6:30 to play. The Big Red's lone points during that five minute span came on a pair of made free throws from Spencer Lane.

Both team's offenses picked up over the final six minutes of the half with the squads traded buckets until the Bison took a 27-18 leads into the intermission.

Cornell scored the first six points of the second half, with four coming from Fitzpatrick, to cut the Bucknell lead to 27-24 at the 17:25 mark.

Romine ended the run with a jumper but a layup from Danielak and a 3-pointer from Long, sandwiched around a bucket from Novacek brought the visitors within two points, 31-29, with 15:43 to play.

Back-to-back baskets from Lindsay Horbatuck and Phillips were answered by layups from Maka Anyanwu and Allie Munson, as well as a free throw from Anyanwu, to make it a 36-34 game at the 11:42 mark.

After a basket from Christna Chukwuedo, a trey from Flynn made it a one-point game, but a pair of free throws from Voss and a jumper from Dunn restored a five-point margin to the home team.

The next minute of action was dominated by Danielak, who followed a baseline jumper with a blocked shot and a layup to bring the Big Red back within one-point, 42-41, with 6:13 to play.

A turnover on Bucknell's next possession led to a layup from Long and gave Cornell its first lead of the game, 43-42, at the 5:49 mark.

The teams traded baskets with a layup from Fitzpatrick giving Cornell its final lead of the game, 45-44, with 5:02 to play before a trey from Romine permanently restored the lead to the Bison, which closed the game on a 10-0 run over the final 3:07 to account for the 54-45 final.

The Big Red will ring in the New Year at Newman Arena when it welcomes cross-town rival Ithaca College on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.