Game Information
Cornell at Syracuse
Tip Off: Monday, Nov. 18, 2013; 4:30 p.m.
Location: The Carrier Dome (Syracuse, N.Y.)
Records: Cornell (2-0, 0-0 Ivy); Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Series Record: Syracuse leads, 14-4
Last Meeting: Syracuse won 80-35 (11/16/12)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/syracuse/wbball/
Video Webcast: http://suathletics.com/showcase/

GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCHUP: After opening a season at 2-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign, the Big Red women's basketball team faces its toughest test yet as it travel ups I-81 this afternoon for a game with instate rival Syracuse at the Carrier Dome at 4:30 p.m. The Orange also comes into the game at 2-0 with wins over Washington State and Dartmouth.

THE SERIES VS. SYRACUSE: Cornell's rivalry with Syracuse is one of the oldest in the history of the women's basketball program. The series began during the 1972-73 season, just the second year of women's basketball for both schools, with a 64-24 Big Red victory. Cornell would win the next two meetings as well, giving the Big Red its longest winning-streak (three games) against the Orange. Syracuse would win the next nine meetings, a streak which was halted during the 2003-04 campaign when Cornell defeated the Orange 82-62 at Newman Arena. Syracuse has won the last five meetings to improve its lead in the series to 14-4.

LAST TIME VS. SYRACUSE: Allyson DiMagno registered a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double but it wasn't enough as the Big Red fell to Big East foe Syracuse, 80-35, on Nov. 16, 2012 in Newman Arena. DiMagno was the only Big Red player in double-figures and she filled out the stat line with two steals, one block and one assist. Syracuse was led by Kayla Alexander, who used her significant height advantage to register a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double. The Orange's other forward Shakeya Leary tallied 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Carmen Tyson-Thomas added 10 points and five boards. The Orange held the 47-30 edge in rebounds and forced 26 Cornell turnovers with 17 steals. Neither team could manage to get any offense going in the opening minutes of the contest until a nearly five-minute drought was ended by a put-back layup off an offensive board by Kristina Danielak to put Cornell up, 2-0 at the 15:27 mark. Danielak finished the game with six points. Syracuse knotted the game moments later off a pair of free throws from Leary, but a jumper from the top of the key by Taylor Flynn restored the 4-2 lead to the home team. Leary tied the game again on SU's next possession, sparking a 7-0 run by the visitors to give the Orange the 9-4 lead. Cornell stayed within  striking distance when back-to-back baskets by Stephanie Long and DiMagno made it a 14-10 contest with just under nine minutes to play, but Syracuse closed the half on a 17-4 run to take the 31-14 lead into the break. The Orange continued to use a full-court press throughout the majority of the second half and blew the game open with 11 consecutive points in a span of just under four minutes and then rolled to the 80-35 victory.

CORNELL VS. THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE: Cornell is 4-20 all-time vs. the current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, with all four victories coming against Syracuse (4-14). The Big Red also holds a losing record vs. Boston College (0-1), Georgia Tech (0-2), Miami (0-2) and Virginia Tech (0-1) and has never faced Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, UNC, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia or Wake Forest … Head Coach Dayna Smith is 1-8 against the ACC with the lone win coming against Syracuse (2003-04).

A CORNELL WIN WOULD:
• make the Big Red 3-0 to start a season for the first time since the 1993-94 season, and just the third time in program history. 
• snap a five-game losing streak against the Orange, giving the Big Red its first win over Syracuse since 2003-04.
• be the first victory for the Big Red in Syracuse.
• give head coach Dayna Smith her second victory over Syracuse.

OPENING AT 2-0: With the 79-72 win over Buffalo, the Big Red has started the season at 2-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign, and just the fifth time in program history.

FRESHMAN [FOUR]CE: With two starters and two others contributing significant minutes, four members of the freshman class – Kerri Moran, Nia Marshall, Nicholle Aston and Megan LeDuc – are already putting their stamp on the 2013-14 season. All four average more than 17 minutes per game and as a group, they are shooting 40 percent (17-of-42) from the floor and 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range. The quartet is also contributing an average of 27.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game. 

100 WINS AND COUNTING: Head Coach Dayna Smith is already the winningest coach in Cornell history, and she reached the 100-win mark for her career with the team's victory over Manhattan on Nov. 20, 2012. She has since added to that and has 112 career coaching wins.

1,000/700: Senior Allyson DiMagno is just 24 points shy of becoming the fourth player in Cornell history, and first ever under head coach Dayna Smith, to register at least 1,000 points and 700 rebounds for her career. If she accomplishes that feat, she will be the first Cornell player to do so since Patti Froehlich ended her career with 1,194 points and 931 rebounds in 1989 – three years before DiMagno was born.

TOP TEN REBOUNDS: Allyson DiMagno currently ranks fourth overall in Cornell history for career rebounds (710) and needs just 13 more to surpass Karin Dwyer (1982-86) for third place … She already holds the school record for career defensive rebounds (450) and career offensive rebounds (260).

IVY LEADERS: While it's still early in the season, several Big Red players are ranked among the top 10 in various categories in the Ivy League, including:
*Allyson DiMagno – fourth in scoring (18.0 points per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – fourth in rebounding (7.5 rebounds per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – fourth in field goal percentage (.667)
*Megan LeDuc – fourth in assists (4.0 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – seventh in assists (3.0 per game)
*Shelby Lyman – first in free throw percentage (1.000)
*Allison Bockrath – first in free throw percentage (1.000)
*Allyson DiMagno – sixth in free throw percentage (.917)
*Nia Marshall – first in steals (3.50 steals per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – sixth in steals (2.0 steals per game)
*Megan LeDuc – third in 3-point field goal percentage (.600)
*Allison Bockrath – seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.500)
*Shelby Lyman – ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.5 per game)
*Allison Bockrath – ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.5 per game)
*Megan LeDuc – ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.5 per game)
*Nia Marshall – second in blocked shots (2.5 blocks per game)
*Megan LeDuc – second in assist/turnover ratio (4.0 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.5 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – fifth in defensive rebounds (6.0 per game)
*Keri Moran – ninnth in defensive rebounds (4.0 per game)

DIMAGNO'S GOT CLASS: Allyson DiMagno has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award in women's collegiate basketball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of NCAA Division I senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. A captain for the 2013-14 season, DiMagno is an accomplished and well-rounded student with a 3.77 grade-point average in biological sciences (biochemistry emphasis) with a minor in business. She was an Academic All-Ivy selection in 2012-13, and she was also the first-ever Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team selection in the history of the Cornell women's basketball program. On the court, DiMagno was an All-Ivy selection a year ago after setting the school record for rebounds in a single season (321). In the community she has volunteered at special events, including the Special Olympics, the Make-A-Wish-Make-A-Swish event, and a Be The Match bone marrow drive. She is also involved in numerous volunteer projects each semester as a member of SAAC, and Quill and Dagger. The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After setting the Cornell school record with four Ivy League Player of the Week selections a year ago, Allyson DiMagno picked up the Ancient Eight's first weekly award of the 2013-14 season after helping Cornell to its second-straight season-opening victory over Colgate (76-62) on Nov. 8. She led Cornell with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. With her nine rebounds, she became just the fourth player in Big Red history to reach the 700-rebound plateau.

I'LL TAKE THAT: Cornell has posted 25 steals (12.5 per game) so far this season, that is up significantly from last year when the Big Red registered 8.1 steals per game.

MAY I ASSIST YOU?: So far this season, the Big Red has assisted on 36-of-46 baskets (78 percent). That is well above last season, as Cornell assisted on 66 percent of its baskets (378-of-573).

STARTING STREAK: Senior Allyson DiMagno has an 81-game starting streak, which is by far the longest active streak on the team, with four others – Stephanie Long, Shelby Lyman, Kerri Moran and Nia Marshall – tied for second at two games apiece.

CLOSE CALLS: Since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, the Big Red has had 34-of-83 games (41 percent) decided by eight points or fewer. In those games, Cornell has posted a 19-15 record (.558).

100 THREES: The Big Red has connected on at least 100 3-pointers in each of the last six seasons. Cornell has registered at least 100 3-pointers in all but one season under head coach Dayna Smith, with the 2006-07 squad coming up just short with 98 treys.

EVERYBODY'S (ACADEMIC) ALL-AMERICAN: Allyson DiMagno was named a 2012-13 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team selection during her junior season. A biological sciences major with a 3.7 grade-point average, she is just the second Academic All-District selection in the history of the Big Red women's basketball program, joining Virginia McMunigal '10, who was a second-team selection during her senior season.

LOW PERCENTAGE SHOTS: Since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Cornell held 19 of its 30 opponents (63 percent) to below 40 percent shooting from the floor.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Big Red will play in the Seattle University Delta Dental Thanksgiving Tournament at the end of the month. The trip will serve as a homecoming for senior Shelby Lyman, who hails from Snohomish, which sits approximately 45 miles from the Redhawk's campus.

FIRST NIGHT: Four members of the freshmen class saw action in the team's season-opening victory over Colgate. Kerri Moran and Nia Marshall earned the start, while both Megan LeDuc and Nicholle Aston saw significant action off the bench. The quartet played a total of 75 minutes and contributed 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals, five blocks, and three assists. They also hit 53 percent of their shots from the field, 67 percent from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the free throw line.

FOR OPENERS: The Big Red is 19-24 all-time in season openers. After defeating Colgate in each of the past two season openers, Coach Dayna Smith's record has improved to 3-9 in the first game of the season. Cornell has now registered back-to-back season opening victories for the first time since winning three straight from 1998-99 to 2000-01.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Senior Aspen Chandler comes from a long line of athletes. Her father, Brian Hopgood, had a successful professional basketball career playing in the various domestic and overseas leagues. Collegiately, he played at University of Louisville and Oklahoma City University. While at OCU, he led his team to the NAIA national championship and was a two-time All-American. Her cousin Shelton Johnson played football for the University of Wisconsin and her grandfather Wayne Long ran track and field in college.

BASKETBALL PEDIGREE: Stephanie Long isn't the only member of her family to play collegiate basketball. Her father Dennis played basketball for three seasons at UConn.

HI, MY NAME IS: Cornell has a new face on the bench for the 2013-14 season – volunteer assistant Jim Sheehan – who spent the past two seasons serving as a volunteer assistant to Cornell's video coordinator. Sheehan is a 2010 graduate of Cortland with a bachelor of science degree in sports management.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Big Red has added five players to this year's squad, as Nicholle Aston (Woodland Hills, Calif.), Taylor DePalma (Ithaca, N.Y.), Megan LeDuc(Vienna, Va.), Nia Marshall (Macedonia, Ohio) and Kerri Moran (Fair Hills, N.J.) have joined the team for the 2013-14 season. The class of five comes from five different states and consists of three guards and two forwards.

RECORD BREAKER: Last year, Allyson DiMagno set the Cornell single-season record for rebounds (321), defensive rebounds (196) and offensive rebounds (125) in a single season. She also set the school record for Ivy League Player of the Week selections in a season with four and set the Cornell mark for minutes played in a single game when she stayed on the court the full 50 minutes of the Big Red's double-overtime victory over Columbia

2012-13 SEASON RECAP: The 2012-13 season was one of steady improvement and individual accomplishments as a four-member senior class and a talented junior made their way up the Big Red record books. Led by Allyson DiMagno, who earned second-team All-Ivy honors following the season, the team posted a 13-15 record overall and a mark of 5-9 in the Ivy League to finish fifth overall in the conference standings. DiMagno, who moved from guard to forward prior to the season, went on to set the Cornell record for rebounds in a season. The team's seniors also left their mark on the program, beginning with Clare Fitzpatrick '13, who left Cornell ranking seventh in Big Red history in points (1,201), sixth in rebounds (609), fourth in free throws made (328), and fifth in blocked shots (68). She also became the first-ever player under Smith to reach 1,200 career points and 600 career rebounds. Spencer Lane '13, who led the Ivy League during her senior season in assists per game and assist/turnover ratio, finished her career ranking eighth all-time in Cornell history in assists (284) and 14th overall in career steals (113). Taylor Flynn '13, ended her career ranking eighth all-time in 3-pointers made (110), while forward Kristina Danielak '13 left Cornell ranking fourth all-time in career field goal percentage (.497) and 10th all-time in Cornell history with 55 career blocks.

TICKLE THE ALL-IVY: Last season, Allyson DiMagno was named second-team All Ivy after leading the Big Red in both points and rebounds, averaging a double-double for the season with 14.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. She finished the season with 16 double-doubles, the most by any member of the Ancient Eight since former Ivy League Player of the Year Judie Lomax of Columbia posted 21 during the 2009-10 season. DiMagno also ranked third overall in the Ivy League with 14.7 points per game, but was even better against conference foes, ranking second overall with 15.5 point per game in Ivy League contests.

WHAT WAS LOST: The Big Red graduated four players from the 2012-13 squad – Kristina Danielak, Clare Fitzpatrick, Taylor Flynn and Spencer Lane – and lost three other non-letter winners. The seven players accounted for an average of 28.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

WHAT REMAINS: Cornell returns three starters and five letter winners from last season's squad. The Big Red returns 51% of its scoring (811-of-1,601 points) and 67% of its rebounding (645-of-968) from a year ago.

PRESEASON HONORS: Allyson DiMagno was named a College Sports Madness Preseason All-Ivy second-team selection.

UP NEXT: The Big Red will return to Ithaca, N.Y. to play host to Bucknell at Newman Arena on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m.