Box Score  DURHAM, N.H. – The Big Red women's basketball team used a tremendous defensive effort to help overcome one of its worse shooting performances of the season, but fell just short in its comeback attempt against New Hampshire, dropping a 59-56 to the Wildcats in Lundholm Gymnasium. Cornell erased UNH's 10-point second half lead and led by one-point with 42 seconds to play, but the Wildcats scored the final four points of the contest to improve to 3-1 on the season.
 
For the second consecutive game, Cornell (3-3) was led Taylor Flynn with 15 points, while Clare Fitzpatrick finished the game with 10. For the first time this season, Allyson DiMagno did not reach double-digit points, but the junior forward did pull down a game-high 15 rebounds.
 
Spencer Lane registered nine points, including the Big Red's final bucket of the contest, and Kristina Danielak chipped in a season-high seven. Lane also tallied five rebounds and two assists.
 
New Hampshire was led by Cari Reed's 17 points while Morgan Frame and Elizabeth Belanger tallied 11 points apiece. Belanger finished the game with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds to the Wildcats' cause.
 
Despite holding a significant height advantage, UNH held just a slim edge in rebounds 40-39, and was forced into 19 turnovers with 11 Big Red steals.
 
Cornell put up an impressive fight and for a good stretch of the second half seemed to win every 50-50 ball with its hustle, but was stymied by a 33.3 percent shooting performance from the floor (19-57), and a 21.4 percent performance from beyond the arc (3-14). The poor shooting even extended to the foul line, with the Big Red shooting well-below its season average at just 55.6 percent (15-27).
 
UNH, on the other hand, hit nearly 40 percent for the game (21-53) and was at 31.6 percent from beyond the arc (6-19).
 
The early moments of the game, both teams were plagued with turnovers, but the Big Red jumped out to an early 6-2 lead thanks to a trey from Sheby Lyman, a made free throw from Fitzpatrick and a fastbreak layup from Lane.
 
New Hampshire used a 9-3 run to take its first lead of the ball game, 11-9, at the 15:20 mark, but a pair of made free throws from DiMagno knotted the game just under two minutes later.
 
The Wildcats used their height and  early rebounding advantage to go on an 11-1 run, which was finally halted when Flynn drove the lane and scored the bucket while being fouled. She converted the free throw to make it a 22-15 contest with just over seven minutes to play in the half.
 
Cornell continued to press and force Wildcat turnovers, and also closed the gap in rebounds to help overcome one of its worst shooting halves of the season (25.0 percent) to trail 29-24 at the intermission.
 
The action went end-to-end after the intermission, but neither team could make a shot until Reed finally nailed a 3-pointer at the 18:09 mark and Belanger hit a layup on the Wildcats next possession to give the home team a double-digit lead.  
 
Stephanie Long finally got Cornell its first points of the half with a jumper with just over 16 minutes to play in the contest and the teams traded baskets until back-to-back jumpers by Flynn made it a six point game (39-33) with 13:40 remaining.
 
Lauren Wells answered on UNH's next trip down the court but three consecutive points by Fitzpatrick cut the home team's lead to just five points, 41-36, with 10:35 to play.
 
The teams traded baskets on their next two possessions but some smothering Big Red defense and a pair of big rebounds by DiMagno led to back-to-back layups from Lane and Fitzpatrick to make it a 43-42 contest with just over eight minutes to play.
 
A trey by Flynn at the top of the key returned the lead to Cornell for the first time since the open moments of the game, putting the Big Red up, 45-43, at the 7:44 mark.
 
Morgan Frame and Reed combined for three made free throws to return the one-point lead to UNH, but Flynn's jumper from the elbow bounced the lead back to Cornell, 47-46.
 
The lead continued to trade hands over the next few possessions until a layup by Reed and a pair of free throws by Lauren Wells extended UNH's lead to three points (53-50) with just over four minutes to play.
 
Fitzpatrick connected on two free throws and brought Cornell back within one-point, but a layup by Frame again made it a three-point UNH lead.
 
With just 1:32 to play, Flynn harassed Jilliane Friel into a turnover at midcourt and took it all the way for the layup to make it a 55-54 contest. Cornell got a defensive stop and another huge rebound DiMagno led to a layup from Lane to give the Big Red the late 56-55 lead with 37 seconds to play.
 
Wells hit a driving layup with 28 seconds to play to put the home team back up by one-point and Reed hit a pair of free throws with nine second remaining to account for the 59-56 final.
 
Cornell is back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 28 when it travels to St. Francis College (N.Y.) for a contest at 1 p.m.