Box Score Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. – Freshman Allyson DiMagno finished with a career-high 20 points to lead four Cornell players in double-figures as the Big Red women's basketball team defeated Dartmouth, 66-55, this evening in Newman Arena. The win ended a two-game winning streak by the Big Green against Cornell and was Cornell's largest win in the series since the 2007-08 season.

Joining DiMagno in double-digits was Clare Fitzpatrick, who registered 11 of her 15 points in the crucial second half, while Shelby Lyman and Kristina Danielak added 11 points apiece. DiMagno and Allie Munson each finished with a team-high eight rebounds, while Lyman and Stephanie Long tallied eight and six assists, respectively.

Dartmouth (4-12, 0-2) got a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double from Janelle Ross, while Sasha Dosenko led the Big Green with 15 points.

Cornell (5-12, 2-1) came out blazing in the second half, shooting 48 percent from the floor to finish at 42 percent for the game, while holding Dartmouth to just 35 percent shooting overall. The Big Red also held the slim edge in rebounds, 40-37, and forced the Big Green into 16 turnovers with eight steals, including three each by Lyman and DiMagno. Cornell, on the other hand, turned the ball over just 12 times, while assisting on 20-of-24 baskets.

“I'm really proud of our team,” said head coach Dayna Smith. “I think we stepped up in the second half and played good team basketball on both ends of the court. Dartmouth is a smart defensive team and they do a great job of taking away your first and second looks, but we moved the ball well, kept our composure and finished. On the defensive end, I thought we got some big stops, communicated well and rebounded at key times at the end of the game. “

In a contest that featured seven ties and seven lead changes, Cornell took command late in the second half after taking a slim 25-24 lead into the intermission. The teams battled to a 45-45 deadlock with 7:26 remaining in the game, but the Big Red outscored Dartmouth 19-10 the rest of the way to take the victory.

The run began with six unanswered points as layups from Lyman and Fitzpatrick were sandwiched around a pair of made free throws from DiMagno to make it a 51-45 game. The teams traded a set of free throws before a layup from Danielak put Cornell up by eight points with 3:36 to play.

The teams traded baskets for the next minute but a jumper by Fitzpartick and a layup by DiMagno, off a spectacular pass from Long, gave the Big Red a double-digit lead, 61-51, and Cornell made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

Cornell is back in action tomorrow evening, Saturday, Jan. 29, as it welcomes Harvard to Newman Arena at 7 p.m.