SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Big Red women's basketball team lead No. 22/23 Syracuse for more than 22 minutes, but the Orange closed the second half strong to avoid the upset with a 76-59 victory this afternoon at the Carrier Dome. Cornell (6-5) played an inspired first half and took a 34-32 lead into the intermission, but went cold from the floor in the second half and didn't hit a field goal over the final 9:12 of the game as the Orange came back to earn the win.
 
The Big Red had a trio of players finish in double-digits, led by Nia Marshall and Kerri Moran with 14 points apiece, while Maddie Campbell finished with 10. Marshall also had a team-high eight rebounds. For Moran, the 14 points was a season-high.
 
Syracuse (9-3) was led by Alexis Peterson's 18 points, while Brianna Day (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Cornelia Fondren (10 points, 11 rebounds) both finished with double-doubles. Diamond Henderson and Brianna Butler also tallied double-digits with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
 
Cornell started the game hot, shooting nearly 40 percent overall and from beyond the arc in the first half, but finished the game at 32.3 percent overall and 30.8 percent from 3-point range after hitting just 7-of-29 from the floor in the second half.
 
The Orange shot 39.1 percent for the game, but used its significant height advantage to hold outrebound the Big Red, 50-38. Syracuse also used its depth to spur the comeback, as its bench outscored the visitors, 31-15.
 
Both teams turned the ball over 13 times.
 
After a quick start by the Orange gave the home team a 5-2 lead, back-to-back treys from Moran handed Cornell its first lead of the game (8-5) at the 17:10 mark. It was a lead Cornell would not relinquish until there was less than 14 minutes to play in the game.
 
The teams traded baskets and the Big Red maintained its lead, eventually pushing its advantage to five points (14-9) with a layup from Marshall with 14:14 to play in the half.
 
Five unanswered points by Syracuse knotted the game at 14-14, but a Moran 3-pointer on Cornell's next trip down the court returned the lead to the visitors. Fondren answered on the Orange's next possession, but the Big Red scored the next six point with buckets from Campbell, Megan LeDuc and Marshall to go up, 23-16, with just over eight minutes to go in the opening stanza.
 
A layup from Peterson ended the run but LeDuc answered with a trey as the shot clock expired to keep the Cornell offense clicking. Butler pulled the home team back to within five points with an open 3-pointer on the other end, but a layup from Christine Kline, followed by a traditional three-point play from Moran, put the Big Red up by double-digits (31-21) at the 5:13 mark.
 
The Orange closed the half with an 11-3 run, including an extremely deep 3-pointer from Henderson at the buzzer, but Cornell still took a 34-32 lead into halftime.
 
The teams traded baskets on the first four possessions of the second half before a jumper from Marshall and a traditional 3-point play from Sarah Poland gave the Big Red a 45-36 lead with 16:27 to go in the game.
 
Fondren ended the run with three-point play of her own and a trey by Maggie Morrison, followed by another three-point play from Henderson knotted the game for just the third time at 45-45 with just over 14 minutes to go in the contest.
 
A trey from Butler at the 13:54 mark gave Syracuse its first lead (48-45) since the opening minutes of the contest, but a pair of free throws from Poland ended the run and brought the Big Red within a single point.
 
Cornell had several chances to regain the lead with some tough defensive stops, but couldn't take advantage and the Orange used a 10-2 run to go up, 58-49 with just under 10 minutes to play.
 
An elbow jumper from Campbell ended the Syracuse run and the teams battled to a 66-59 game with Cornell getting eight straight points from the free throw line. The Orange eventually pushed its lead to double-digits with a pair of free throws from Peterson with 3:35 to play and rolled to the 76-59 victory.
 
The Big Red is back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 30 when it travels to Vermont for a 7 p.m. contest.