Game #15: Cornell at Columbia
Tip Off: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2014; 4:30 p.m.
Location: Levien Gymnasium (New York, N.Y.)
Records: Cornell (8-6; 0-0 Ivy); Columbia (3-11; 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 41-23
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 71-64 (2OT); Jan. 26, 2013
Live Stats: GoColumbiaLions.com
Video Webcast: IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com

GAME NOTES (PDF)

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red women's basketball team (8-6) will open Ivy League play and look to extend its winning streak to a season-best four games when it travels to New York City this weekend to take on Columbia at Levien Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4:30 p.m. Columbia (3-11) has only played one game in the month of January and brings a two-game skid into Saturday's contest.

THE SERIES VS. THE LIONS: Cornell's rivalry with Columbia began in the 1975-76 season when the team represented Barnard College (the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium was organized in 1984-85, at which time the team began playing under the name Columbia). Cornell holds a 41-23 record in the all-time series, thanks largely to the fact that it dominated the series throughout the `90s. The teams met 20 times from 1990-91 to 1999-2000, with Cornell winning 17 of those meetings, including 12 straight from 1993 to 2000. Since the 2000-01 season, Columbia holds the slight edge in the series at 14-13, but the Big Red has won the last five outings … Head coach Dayna Smith is 12-10 all-time vs. the Lions.

SCOUTING COLUMBIA: The Lions come into the weekend with a 3-11 record overall, but have won two of their last four outings, including victories over Kennesaw State and Lehigh. Cornell has three players averaging double-figures – Miwa Tachibana (10.1), Taylor Ward (10.0) and Carolyn Binder (10.0) – with Ward handing out a team-high 3.4 assists per game. Both Courtney Bradford and Amara Mbionwu lead the Lions with 5.7 rebounds per game, while Tori Oliver averages 5.6 per contest. Binder 22-63; .349) and Tachibana (22-69; .319) are the team's biggest 3-point threats.

LAST TIME VS. THE LIONS: The Big Red's last game vs. Columbia proved to an epic one, beating the Lions, 71-64, in double-overtime at Levien Gymnasium on Jan. 26, 2013. It was just the third double-overtime game in Cornell women's basketball history (1979-80; 2001-02), with the Big Red having loss both previous games. The Big Red started and ended strong, jumping out to a double-digit lead early in the first half, and then dominated the second overtime to earn the victory. In between Cornell saw its substantial lead erased late in the second half before forcing overtime with a Spencer Lane layup with 1:07 remaining in regulation. Cornell fought back once more from a four-point deficit in the first extra session before jumping out to a four-point lead of its own in the second overtime and rolling to the 71-64 victory. Cornell (10-6, 2-0 Ivy) was led by Clare Fitzpatrick's 23 points and Allyson DiMagno's 13-point, 22-rebound double-double. Fitzpatrick also added four assists, two blocks and two steals, while DiMagno set a school record by playing all 50 minutes and chipped in three assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Lane (11), Taylor Flynn (10) and Shelby Lyman (10) also reached double-figures, with Lane handing out five assists. Columbia (2-14, 0-2 Ivy) was led by Tyler Simpson's 17 points, with Courtney Bradford (12) and Brittany Simmons (11) also scoring in double-digits. Bradford also posted a team-high 11 rebounds to finished with a double-double. The Big Red shot 38 percent from the floor and just 27 percent from beyond the arc, while holding Columbia to 37 percent overall and 29 percent from 3-point range. In the end, free throws may have made the difference, with Cornell going 17-for-21 for 81 percent, while the Lions converted just 6-of-12 for 50 percent. Cornell also held the slight lead in rebounds (47-43) and forced the Lions into one more turnover (17-16).

A CORNELL WIN OVER COLUMBIA WOULD:
• improve the Big Red to 10-6 on the season and 1-0 in Ivy League play.
• give the Big Red a four-game winning streak.
• make Cornell 42-23 all-time against Columbia.
• extend the Big Red's winning streak vs. Columbia to six games.
• improve the Big Red to 4-3 in road games in 2013-14.
• give the Big Red back-to-back wins and even Coach Smith's record at 6-6 in Ivy League openers.

IVY OPENERS: Since Ivy League round robin play began in the 1982-83 season, Cornell has posted a 16-15 record in conference openers. The Big Red snapped a four-game losing streak in Ivy opener when it defeated Columbia last season at Newman Arena. Head Coach Dayna Smith's record is 5-6 in the first game of Ancient Eight play. Cornell has faced the Lions more than any other team, opening the season against Columbia 15 times.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Nia Marshall was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9, becoming the first Cornell women's basketball player to receive back-to-back Rookie of the Weeks awards since Jeomi Maduka in 2005-06 and the first Cornell player to receive two Rookie of the Week awards in a single season since Lauren Benson in 2006-07 … Marshall was named Rookie of the Week again on Jan. 13, becoming the first Big Red player to earn three Rookie of the Week selections since Maduka.

WINNING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE: The Big Red finished the non-conference portion of its season with an 8-6 record for the second straight year, giving Cornell a winning non-conference record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000/2000-01. It is just the third time in program history that the Big Red has had back-to-back winning non-conference records (1982-83/1983-84).

NCAA LEADER: Allyson DiMagno is among the NCAA's active career leaders in Division I for both free throw percentage (10th – 82.8 percent) and rebounds (23rd – 807).

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT: With Its 81-46 victory over Vermont on Jan. 4, the Big Red had its best offensive output in more than four years, as Cornell last scored more than 80 points in a game when it racked up 92 points vs. Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 21, 2009.

MARGIN OF VICTORY: Cornell's 35-point margin of victory against Vermont was its largest since in more than five years, having defeating Brown by 33 points on Feb. 1, 2008.

I'LL TAKE THAT: Cornell has posted 145 steals (10.4 per game) so far this season, which is up significantly from last year when the Big Red registered 8.1 steals per game … Cornell entered the week ranked first in the Ivy League and 41st in the nation … Cornell's 18 steals vs. Seattle were the most since the 2001-02 season, and the most ever during head coach Dayna Smith's time at the helm of the program. In the Big Red's next game vs. Binghamton, the team finished with 16 steals, good for second overall during Coach Smith's tenure.

FREE THROW FIENDS: As of Jan. 13, Cornell has two players – Allyson DiMagno (second) and Aspen Chandler (third) – ranked in the top three in the Ivy League in free throw percentage. As a team, the Big Red makes free throws at a clip of 71.2 percent, ranking third in the Ivy League.

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 … She currently ranks 11th overall in Cornell history for career points (1,130) and needs just 20 more to move into 10th place overall, surpassing Mary Browne (1983-87).

TOP TEN REBOUNDS: Allyson DiMagno currently ranks second overall in Cornell history for career rebounds (807) and needs 115 more to surpass Patti Froehlich (1985-89) and become the Big Red's all-time leader … She already holds the school record for career defensive rebounds (511) and career offensive rebounds (296).

1,000/800: With her 11 rebounds vs. Howard, senior Allyson DiMagno became just the second player in Cornell history, and first ever under head coach Dayna Smith, to register at least 1,000 points and 800 rebounds for her career. The only other Cornell player to achieve that feat was Patti Froehlich, who 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 10 minutes per game and as a group, they are shooting 38 percent (117-of-309) from the floor. The quartet is also contributing an average of 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 4.2 steals and 1.6 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 118 career coaching wins.

IVY LEADERS: Several Big Red players are ranked among the top 10 in various categories in the Ivy League, including:
*Allyson DiMagno – eighth in scoring (13.6 points per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in rebounding (8.0 rebounds per game)
*Nia Marshall – seventh in rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – sixth in field goal percentage (.500)
*Stephanie Long – eighth in assist per game (2.9)
*Kerri Moran – 10th in assist per game (2.7)
*Allyson DiMagno – second in free throw percentage (.823)
*Aspen Chandler – third in free throw percentage (.811)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in steals (2.1 steals per game)
*Nia Marshall – fourth in steals (2.0 steals per game)
*Shelby Lyman – ninth in steals (1.6 steals per game)
*Shelby Lyman – eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.333)
*Shelby Lyman – ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.4 per game)
*Nia Marshall – third in blocked shots (1.3 blocks per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – first in offensive rebounds (2.8 per game)
*Nia Marshall – ninth in offensive rebounds (2.1 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – fourth in defensive rebounds (5.2 per game)
*Nia Marshall – seventh in defensive rebounds (4.2 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in minutes played (34.3 per game)

MAY I ASSIST YOU?: So far this season, the Big Red has assisted on 209-of-296 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 93-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 14 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-94 games (38 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 24 of its 42 opponents (57 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.

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).

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 will return home for the first time in more than three weeks when it welcomes Columbia to Newman Arena on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m.