Game Information
Game #8: Binghamton at Cornell
Tip Off: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013; 7:00 p.m.
Location: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Records: Cornell (4-3); Binghamton (1-5)
Series Record: Binghamton leads, 8-5
Last Meeting: Cornell won 60-56 (11/14/12)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/wbball/
Video Webcast: http://www.IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com

GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red women's basketball team returns home to play host to Binghamton in a midweek tilt at Newman Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. Cornell fell in the championship game of the Delta Dental Thanksgiving Tournament last weekend to slip to 4-3 on the season, while the Bearcats are 1-5 overall.



THE SERIES VS. BINGHAMTON: Cornell and Binghamton have met 13 times in women's basketball history with the Bearcats winning the last four of the last five outings to take the 8-5 advantage in the series. The Big Red won the first two meetings, which occurred in the late 1970's, when the Binghamton squad played on the Division III level. Cornell renewed its rivalry with the Bearcats during the 2001-02 campaign, the same season that Binghamton transitioned to Division I status. The Bearcats won that meeting, 66-61, and defeated the Big Red again the following season, 66-48, but Cornell reclaimed the edge in the series history with a 50-43 victory during the 2004-05 season. Binghamton took the temporary lead in the series with two straight victories during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, before Cornell evened the series at 4-4 during the 2007-08 campaign. Cornell defeated Binghamton last season to end a four-game Bearcat winning streak.

LAST TIME VS. BINGHAMTON: The Big Red women's built a double-digit lead early in the second half, saw it erased with a 20-2 Binghamton run, but came back with less than three minutes to play to steal the 60-56 victory from the Bearcats on Nov. 14, 2012 at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. With the win, Cornell snapped a four-game skid against Binghamton to improve to 2-1 on the season. Allyson DiMagno led the Big Red with 17 points and eight rebounds. She filled out the stat line with one assist, one steal and one blocked shot. Clare Fitzpatrick scored 13 points, including a 5-for-5 performance from the free throw line, and Shelby Lyman added 10 points and six assists. After a rough shooting performance in its last outing, Cornell rebounded with an impressive 43 percent shooting night overall and a mark of 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range. Binghamton (0-2) was led by Jasbriell Swain's 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Sharae Swinson and Kara Elofson added 12 and 10 points, respectively. The pair was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. The Bearcats held the 38-29 advantage on the backboards, but shot just 34 percent from the floor and 27 percent from beyond the arc. Both teams took care of the ball, with Cornell turning the ball over 12 times and registering nine steals, while BU had 13 turnovers and six steals.

CORNELL VS. THE AMERICAN EAST: Cornell fell to 16-21 all-time vs. the current members of the America East Conference, after losing to New Hampshire last season. The Big Red holds a winning record vs. Albany (5-1) and UMBC (2-0), while its series record with Stony Brook (1-1) is tied. Cornell holds a losing mark vs. Binghamton (5-8), Maine (0-1), New Hampshire (0-4) and Vermont (3-6), but has never faced Hartford or UMass-Lowell ... Coach Smith is 5-11 all-time vs. the America East.

A CORNELL WIN WOULD:
• make the Big Red 5-3 overall and 3-1 in Newman Arena.
• be the second in a row against Binghamton, giving Cornell consecutive victories in the series for the first time since the 1977-78/1978-79 season.
• make the Big Red 3-1 vs. the America East over the past two seasons.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: On Dec. 2, Nia Marshall was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week after helping Cornell defeat Loyola (Md.) and Drake, before falling by three points to Seattle. Over three games, she nearly averaged a double-double (12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds), setting career highs with 15 points vs. Seattle and 11 rebounds vs. Drake. It was her first career Ivy League weekly award and she became the first Big Red player to be the sole recipient of Rookie of the Week award since Stephanie Long on Feb. 28, 2011.

WINNING NOVEMBER: Cornell finished November with a 4-3 record overall for the second straight season, giving the Big Red a winning record in consecutive Novembers for the first time since 1999-2000 (4-1) and 2000-01 (3-2).

13TH TO 1,000: On Nov. 26 vs. Loyola (MD), senior Allyson DiMagno became the 13th player in Cornell history, and fourth under head coach Dayna Smith, to join the 1,000-point club.

1,000/700: Senior Allyson DiMagno is just 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. She is the first Cornell player to achieve that feat since Patti Froehlich ended her career with 1,194 points and 931 rebounds in 1989 – three years before DiMagno was born.

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 13 minutes per game and as a group, they are shooting 35 percent (58-of-168) from the floor. The quartet is also contributing an average of 24.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 4.9 steals and 1.9 blocks 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 114 career coaching wins.

TOP TEN REBOUNDS: Allyson DiMagno currently ranks third overall in Cornell history for career rebounds (752) and needs 11 more to surpass Rhonda Anderson (1979-83) for second place … She already holds the school record for career defensive rebounds (479) and career offensive rebounds (273).

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 – ninth in scoring (12.0 points per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in rebounding (8.1 rebounds per game)
*Nia Marshall – 10th in rebounding (5.9 rebounds per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – ninth in field goal percentage (.475)
*Stephanie Long – fifth in assist per game (3.0)
*Allyson DiMagno – fifth in free throw percentage (.808)
*Aspen Chandler – eighth in free throw percentage (.762)
*Allyson DiMagno – second in steals (2.1 steals per game)
*Nia Marshall – sixth in steals (1.9 steals per game)
*Kerri Moran – sixth in steals (1.9 steals per game)
*Shelby Lyman – ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.3 per game)
*Nia Marshall – third in blocked shots (1.3 blocks per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – sixth in offensive rebounds (2.3 per game)
*Nia Marshall – sixth in offensive rebounds (2.3 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in defensive rebounds (5.9 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in minutes played (34.1 per game)

I'LL TAKE THAT: Cornell has posted 76 steals (10.1 per game) so far this season, which 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 98-of-138 baskets (71 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 86-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 seven games apiece. Both Long and Lyman had a starting streak ended in the final game last season.

CLOSE CALLS: Since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, the Big Red has had 36-of-87 games (41 percent) decided by eight points or fewer. In those games, Cornell has posted a 20-16 record (.556).

LOW PERCENTAGE SHOTS: Since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Cornell held 21 of its 35 opponents (60 percent) to below 40 percent shooting from the floor.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Seattle University Delta Dental Thanksgiving Tournament served as a homecoming for senior guard Shelby Lyman, who hails from Snohomish, which sits approximately 45 miles from the Redhawk's campus.

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.

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.

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 ... The final member of the freshman class, Taylor DePalma, saw her first collegiate action a week later at Syracuse.

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.

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

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 remains in Ithaca to take on St. Francis (N.Y.) at Newman Arena on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m.