Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In a back-and-fourth battle that came down to the final seconds, the Big Red women's basketball team fell to Brown, 60-55, this evening at the Pizzatola Center in Providence, R.I.
Cornell raced out to an eight point lead early on, but a scoring drought of more than five minutes late in the first half let the home team back into the contest. The Bears eventually went up by as many as 10 points early in the second half, but the Big Red fought back and nearly pulled off the victory.

Cornell (6-21, 3-10) was led by Clare Fitzpatrick's 19 points, while Allyson DiMagno nearly posted a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Fitzpatrick also chipped in four assists and two blocked shots.

Fitzpatrick and DiMagno were the only two Big Red players in double-figures, but Spencer Lane finished with nine points and three assists. Shelby Lyman had a team-high six assists and Kristina Danielak blocked three shots.

Brown (9-18, 5-8) was led by Shelia Dixon's 17 points, while Aileen Daniels and Hannah Passafuime tallied 14 and 11 points, respectively. The trio also led the Bears in rebounding with Dixon and Passafuime notching six apiece and Daniels finishing with five.

Both teams shot well from the floor, with Brown hitting 38.3 percent and the Big Red connecting on 38.5 percent. The Bears were better from beyond the arc at 35.7 percent to Cornell's 21.7 percent, but both teams hit just five treys in the game.

The Big Red turned the ball over 16 times, as the Bears registered 12 steals, but Brown turned the ball over 13 times on the night.

Both teams came out firing early in the first half, but the Big Red was especially effective, hitting four of its first six shots to take an 11-6 lead at the 15:59 mark. During the run, Fitzpatrick hit back-to-back treys, including one from well beyond the men's line as the shot clock expired.

The Bears made it a one possession game, 15-12, with a jumper from Daniels, but a single made free throw from Fitzsimmons followed by a trey from Lyman pushed Cornell's lead to 19-12 with 10:36 to play in the half.

The visitors eventually went up by eight points on a long jumper from DiMagno, but a trey on the other end by Lindsay Nickel, followed by seven-straight points from Dixon, gave the home team its first lead of the game with under five minutes to play in the half.

A pair of made free throws from Taylor Flynn ended a 5:34 scoring drought for the Big Red and made it a two-point game, but the home team closed the half on a 5-2 run to take a 31-26 lead into the intermission.

Daniels scored the first five points on the second half to push Brown's lead to double-digits, 36-26, with just under 18 minutes to play in the second half.

Back-to-back jumpers from Lane and Fitzpatrick ended the Bears' run and started a 12-2 run that knotted the game at 38-38 with under 13 minutes to play. During the run, Cornell got four points from Fitzpatrick, three from Lane and DiMagno and two from Lyman.

Dixon answered for the Bears with four straight points, but a deep jumper from Maka Anyanwu, a defensive stop and an offensive board putback by Danielak tied the game again at 42-42 at the 9:53 mark.

Once again, Dixon responded for the home team, and a layup from Passafuime put Brown up by four before a trey from Flynn made it a one-point game.

The teams traded baskets before six unanswered points for Cornell, including four from Fitzpatrick, restored a one-point lead to the visitors, 53-52, with 3:29 to play in the contest.

Coming out of the final media time out, the Big Red used some lockdown defense, including a great play from Flynn to force a shot clock violation. Cornell could not convert on the other end, however, and a single made free throw by Daniels tied the game again at 53-53.

A Big Red turnover on its next possession forced a foul on the other end and Lauren Clarke netted both free throws to restore a two-point lead to the home team with less than two minutes to play.

Cornell got an open look on its next possession, but the ball rimmed out and Daniels hit a pair of free throws to extend Brown's lead to four points with 57 seconds to play.

Dixon and Nickels both missed front ends of one-and-ones to keep the Big Red in the game, and a pair of made free throws by DiMagno got Cornell within a possession with 21 seconds to play.

The Big Red fouled on the inbounds and Clarke hit the first, but missed the second and Fitzpatrick grabbed the crucial defensive rebound to give Cornell possession with 12 seconds to play, but the Big Red could not get the equalizer.

A pair of free throws by Passafuime accounted for the 60-55 final.

The Big Red is back in action tomorrow, Saturday, March 5, when it closes out the 2010-11 season at Yale. Game time is set for 7 p.m.