Box Score Photo Gallery (Patrick Shanahan)

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's basketball team used an all-around great team effort to overcome a scrappy Columbia team this afternoon, earning a 68-54 triumph in the Ivy League opener for both squads. Four Cornell players scored in double-figures, with Allyson DiMagno posting her seventh double-double of the season (15 points, 15 rebounds) and Clare Fitzpatrick scoring a game-high 18 points.

Fitzpatrick, who was honored in a pre-game ceremony for scoring her 1,000 career point earlier this month, connected on 5-of-11 shots from the floor and knocked down 8-of-9 free throws for her 18 points, and chipped in six rebounds, two steals and two assists.

DiMagno went 7-of-13 from the floor and added two steals, while Spencer Lane came up just short of posting a double-double of her own with 13 points and nine assists to go along with six steals. Stephanie Long was also outstanding with 14 points, connecting on 4-of-5 3-pointers, and chipping in two steals, two assists and a career-high three blocks.

Cornell (9-6, 1-0 Ivy) shot a blistering 49 percent from the floor (26-of-53) and 46 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-13), and assisted on 20 of 26 shots. The Big Red also held the significant 44-27 edge in rebounds. The Lions forced the Big Red into 20 turnovers with 13 steals, but Cornell registered 13 steals of its own, with Columbia finishing with 15 turnovers.

Columbia (2-13, 0-1 Ivy) was led by Brittany Simmons and Tyler Simpson with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Simmons also had an impressive eight steals and finished with a team-high five rebounds. Additionally, Miwa Tachibana connected on 3-of-4 treys for nine points, all of which came in the first half to help keep the Lions in the contest.

The visitors used some hot shooting in the first 20 minutes to hang with the Big Red, connecting on 44 percent overall and 50 percent from beyond the arc, but cooled significantly in the second stanza to finish at 37 percent overall. The Lions went 0-for-6 from 3-point range in the second half.    

After battling to a 6-6 tie, Shelby Lyman sent a cross court pass to Long, who converted a trey from the corner to give Cornell a 9-6 lead at the first media timeout. The Lions responded with five unanswered points to take an 11-9 lead, but a jumper from DiMagno knotted the game again at 11-11 with 13:16 remaining in the first half. Cornell's lead grew to 15-11 thanks to consecutive baskets by Lane and DiMagno, but a 12-4 run by the visitors put Columbia up, 23-19.   

A single made free throw by Lane, followed by a pull up elbow jumper from Long pulled the home team within a single point, but a trey from Taylor Ward, paired with a simultaneous foul away from the ball gave the ball back to the Lions and Simpson hit a jumper to put the Lions up, 28-22.

Back-to-back jumpers by DiMagno brought the home team back within striking distance (28-26) and three minutes later, she tied the game at 32-32. After a layup from Simmons restored the two-point lead to the Lions, a trey from Flynn and an elbow jumper by Lane put Cornell up, 37-34, with just over one minute to play.

On its final possession of the half, Cornell missed a jumper and Tachibana hit a deep trey, her third of the half, with three seconds remaining to send the teams into the intermission deadlocked at 37-37.

Cornell scrapped its way to a four-point lead (46-42) early in the second half with six consecutive points from DiMagno, Fitzpatrick and Long, but Columbia continued to use its stifling press and relentless pressure to stay in the game.

Consecutive treys from Long with just over 11 minutes to play pushed the Big Red to a 56-47 advantage sent all the momentum to the home team and forced Columbia to take a time out.

The Lions scored immediately following the timeout, but Fitzpatrick scored the next six points of the contest to put Cornell up, 62-49 with just over six minutes to play. Simmons ended the run with a layup but it was too little, too late as Cornell rolled to the 68-54 victory.

Cornell will wrap up its home-and-home series with Columbia next weekend when it travels to New York City to take on the Lions at Levien Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m.