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GAME INFORMATION
Game #15: Cornell vs. Columbia
Tipoff: Saturday, Jan. 17, at 1:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2014-15 Records: Cornell (9-5, 0-0 Ivy); Columbia (6-8, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 42-24
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 76-51, on Jan. 25, 2014 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
 
THE MATCHUP: The Big Red women's basketball team will open its Ivy League slate and attempt to stretch its home game winning streak to five consecutive victories when it welcomes Columbia to Newman Arena on Saturday, January 17 at 1 p.m. The game will be part of a double-header with the Cornell men's basketball team taking on the Lions at 4:30 p.m.
 
THE SERIES VS. COLUMBIA: 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 42-24 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 15-14, but the Big Red has won the last six of the last seven outings … Head coach Dayna Smith is 13-11 all-time vs. the Lions.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: Columbia has won its last two outings to improve to 6-8 on the season with five of its eight losses coming by 10 or fewer points. The Lions are led by Tori Oliver, who ranks second in the Ivy League with 18.1 points per game, while Camille Zimmerman (15.5) and Alexa Guliano (11.1) are both scoring in double-figures. Guliano is the team's main 3-point threat, connecting on 2.7 treys per contest, but she is connecting on just .281 percent from the arc, averaging 9.6 attempts per game.  Senior Forward Amara Mbionwu ranks second in the conference with 9.6 rebounds per game with Zimmerman and Oliver chipping in 7.1 and 6.9 rebounds per game, respectively.
               
LAST TIME VS. COLUMBIA:  Senior Joelle Davidson exploded with career highs of 17 points and 14 rebounds and Cornell dominated from start to finish knocking off Columbia 76-51 on Jan. 25, 2014 at Newman Arena. Davidson, who entered the contest with career totals of 17 points and 27 rebounds, was all over the floor. She hit 5-of-6 shots from the floor and all seven of her free-throw attempts (she was 3-of-11 career from the free-throw line entering the game). She had seven offense rebounds and was largely responsible for the Big Red's energy on the way to a dominant 43-25 edge on the backboards. Freshman Nia Marshall added 17 points, six rebounds and six steals, while Stephanie Long had nine points and six rebounds for the Big Red. Cornell shot 48 percent from the floor and had 11 steals as a team, but it was the defense that really was outstanding. The Big Red allowed the Lions to shoot just 27 percent from the floor and 32 percent for the game and had the visitors under 30 points until the Lions hit a trey with a little over eight minutes remaining in the game. Courtney Bradford was the lone Lions player in double figures with 10 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Tori Oliver added six points and eight rebounds and Carolyn Binder, Ara Talkov and Carolyn Gallagher each had eight points. After the previous weekend's disappointing road loss to the Lions, the Big Red refocused, and it was evident from the start. If the first five minutes of the game was going to set the tone, it was always destined by be a Big Red runaway. Cornell's defense was suffocating, the Big Red was dominant on the backboards and it was patient on offense. In the end, the home team went on separate runs of 15-0 and 16-0 en route to the easy triumph.
 
A CORNELL WIN OVER COLUMBIA WOULD:
• improve the Big Red to 10-5 on the season and 1-0 in Ivy League play.
• match the best start in program history (10-5; 1999-2000).
• give Cornell 10 wins on Jan. 17, the earliest date in program history, as the 1999-2000 team hit 10 wins on Jan. 28.
• improve Cornell to 17-16 in Ivy League openers, while giving head coach Dayna Smith a 6-7 record in the first game of Ancient Eight play.
• make Cornell 43-24 all-time against Columbia.
• be the Big Red's seventh win in the last eight meetings with Columbia.
• improve the Big Red to 6-2 in home games this season.
• extend the team's current winning streak to four games overall and five straight at Newman Arena.
 
IVY OPENERS: Since Ivy League round robin play began in the 1982-83 season, Cornell has posted a 16-16 record in conference openers. Head Coach Dayna Smith's record is 5-7 in the first game of Ancient Eight play. Cornell has faced the Lions more than any other team, opening the season against Columbia 16 times.
 
COACHING TENURE: Head coach Dayna Smith, in her 13^th season at the helm of the Big Red program, ranks third overall in Ivy League women's basketball history in years served as a head coach in the conference. Only one active coach, Harvard's Kathy Delaney-Smith (33^rd season), ranks ahead of Cornell's Smith.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOTES:
• Nia Marshall has been named Ivy League Player of the Week (POW) three times this season, becoming  the first Big Red women's basketball player to be named Ivy POW three times in a single season since Allyson DiMagno took home the honor four times during the 2012-13 campaign. 
• Marshall earned her first Ivy League Player of the Week of the season on Dec. 22 after becoming the first Big Red player to register 30+ points in a game since the 2001 season, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds vs. Robert Morris.
• She repeated as Ivy League Player of the Week on Dec. 29, becoming the first Big Red player to earn back-to-back honors since Allyson DiMagno during the 2012-13 season.
• In each of those three weeks that she earned the honor from the conference, she was also named the College Sports Madness Ivy League Player of the Week.
• Marshall was also named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Feb. 3, 2014, to become the first-ever Cornell player to take home the honor as a freshman. 
• Marshall's four career POW honors ranks third all-time in Cornell history, behind Allyson DiMagno and Mary LaMacchia who each took home the award six times.
• In addition to her four POW honors, Marshall was named the Ivy Rookie of the Week (ROW) five times last season, giving her nine total Ivy weekly awards to her credit. Only Jeomi Maduka was honored more by the conference with 10 accolades to her credit (seven ROW; 3 POW).
 
30-POINT PERFORMANCES:
• Nia Marshall has registered at least 30 points three times this season – 33 points vs. Howard on Jan. 7; 36 points vs. Vermont on Dec. 30; 31 points vs. Robert Morris on Dec. 20.
• With 33 points vs. Howard, Marshall became the first player in Cornell women's basketball history to score at least 30 points three times in the same season.
• Her career-high 36 points in Cornell's double overtime victory against Vermont on Dec. 30.
• Marshall's first career 30-point game, coming at Robert Morris on Dec. 20, made her the first Big Red player to reach the 30-point plateau since Do Stevens in 2001.
• Marshall is the only player in Coach Smith's tenure to score 30+ points in a game.
• Only three women's basketball players in Cornell history have had three 30 point games in their career, with Marshall joining Keri Farley and Karen Walker.
• Only once before has Cornell had two 30-point games in the same season, previously done by Karin Dwyer (Jan. 21, 1984 vs. Yale; Feb. 24, 1984).
 
MAY I ASSIST YOU?: So far this season, Cornell has assisted on 230-of-342 baskets (67.3 percent) … As of Jan. 13, the team ranks second in the Ivy League and 34th in the country in assists per game (16.4) … Three Cornell players – Christine Kline (fourth), Megan LeDuc (fifth) and Kerri Moran (eighth) – rank in the top 10 of the Ivy League in assists per game
 
HANDLE WITH CARE: As of Jan. 13, Cornell is second in the conference and 45th in the country in assist to turnover ratio (1.06) … The team is also first in the conference and 69th in the country in turnover margin (3.21) … The Big Red is fourth in the league and 115^th in the nation in turnovers per game (15.5).
 
I'LL TAKE THAT:
• So far this season, the Big Red is averaging 9.5 steals per game, ranking first in the Ivy League and 78th in the nation.
• In 2013-14, Cornell posted 253 steals (9.0 per game) to finish ranked first in the Ivy League and 69th in the nation for steals per game.
 
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT:
• Christine Kline ranks 37th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.24), while Megan LeDuc (161st – 1.51) and Kerri Moran (193rd – 1.38) also appear in the rankings.
• Christine Kline ranks 122nd in the country with 4.0 assists per game, while Megan LeDuc is 151st with 3.8 apg.
• Nicholle Aston currently ranks 52nd in the nation with a .518 shooting percentage, while Nia Marshall sits at 93rd overall (.490).
• Nia Marshall ranks 54th in the country in points per game (18.2) and 135th in rebounds per contest (8.0).
• Christine Kline and Nia Marshall both rank 52nd nationally with 2.57 steals per game.
 
IVY LEADERS: As of Jan. 13, several Big Red players are ranked among the Ivy League leaders this season, including:
*Nia Marshall – first in scoring (18.2 ppg.)
*Nicholle Aston –14th in scoring (11.6 ppg.)
*Christine Kline – 19th in scoring (9.6 ppg.)
*Megan LeDuc – 20th in scoring (9.5 ppg.)
*Nia Marshall – fifth in rebounding (8.0 rpg.)
*Nicholle Aston – 11th in rebounding (6.8 rpg.)
*Nicholle Aston – first in field goal percentage (.518)
*Nia Marshall – sixth in field goal percentage (.490)
*Christine Kline – fourth in assists per game (4.0 apg.)
*Megan LeDuc – fifth in assists per game (3.8 apg.)
*Kerri Moran – eighth in assists per game (3.4 apg.)
*Nia Marshall – 13th in free throw percentage (.675)
*Christine Kline –14th in free throw percentage (.660)
*Christine Kline – first in steals (2.6 spg.)
*Nia Marshall – first in steals (2.6 spg.)
*Maddie Campbell – 11th in steals (1.4 spg.)
*Megan LeDuc – 11th in 3-point FG percentage (.309)
*Christine Kline – 14th in 3-point FG percentage (.292)
*Megan LeDuc – ninth in 3-point FGM (1.5 per game)
*Christine Kline – 15th in 3-point FGM (1.0 per game)
*Christine Kline – first in assist/turnover ratio (2.2)
*Megan LeDuc – fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5)
*Kerri Moran – seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.4)
*Nicholle Aston – fifth in offensive rebs. (2.7 per game)
*Nia Marshall – eighth in offensive rebs. (2.2 per game)
*Nia Marshall – fifth in defensive rebs. (5.8 per game)
*Megan LeDuc – third in minutes played (36.2 per game)
*Nia Marshall – fifth in minutes played (34.9 per game
*Christine Kline – seventh in minutes played (33.9 per game)
 
WINNING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE: With its 9-5 non-conference, the Big Red earned a winning non-conference record for the third straight season, a feat that has never been accomplished in Cornell women's basketball history.
 
90-POINT PERFORMANCE: Cornell's 90-point output in its double overtime victory at Vermont ranks third all-time in Big Red history for points scored in a single game, tied with 90 points in a loss at Canisius in 1998. The school record for points scored stands at 99, which came in an overtime loss to Harvard (105-99) in 1995. Cornell has reached 90 points twice in Coach Smith's tenure with the Vermont performance coming in behind a 92-73 victory against Tennessee State on Nov. 21, 2009.
 
FIRST TIME THREE: Nia Marshall connected on her first-ever collegiate 3-point attempt on Dec. 30 when she tied the game with Vermont at 80-80 by banking in a step-back trey with 2.2 seconds on the clock to send the game into a second overtime session.
 
TIGHT LOSSES: Four of the Big Red's five losses this season have come by nine or few points.
 
TOUGH D: Cornell has held three of its 14 opponents this season to less than 50 points, a feat it accomplished just three times all of last season.
 
STARTING STREAK: With the graduation of Allyson DiMagno, sophomore Nia Marshall has the longest starting streak on the team, standing at just 16 games. Both Marshall and Kerri Moran started every game in 2013-14, with the exception of the Big Red's Senior Day on March 1, 2014.
 
NEW STARTERS: In each of the first eight games this season, the Big Red started four players – Megan LeDuc, Christine Kline, Maddie Campbell and Nicholle Aston – that had yet to start a game for Cornell previously. Since that time, Kerri Moran, who started 27-of-28 games a season ago, has returned to the starting line-up in place of Campbell.
 
BIG MINUTES: Not only have Nicholle Aston, Christine Kline and Megan LeDuc earned the first starts of their collegiate careers this season, but the trio has each roughly tripled their playing time from a season ago. Kline has seen the greatest increase, going from 7.4 to 33.9 minutes per game, while Aston has gone from 11.3 to 30.5 minutes per game, and LeDuc has gone from 11.5 to 36.2 minutes per game. 
 
ON THE SMALL SIDE: Cornell's roster of 14 players is one of the smallest in the Ivy League, with only Dartmouth and Yale featuring fewer players at 13 apiece.
 
ON THE YOUNG SIDE: Of Cornell's 14 players, 11 are underclassmen with just two seniors and one junior. No other team in the Ivy League has fewer upperclassmen, with the next youngest group being Yale with one senior and four juniors. Only one other team in the Ancient Eight has 11 underclassmen, as Columbia is identical to the Big Red with five sophomores and six freshmen, but the Lions also feature the largest roster in the conference at 17 players, with four seniors and two juniors to balance the team out.
 
PERFECT NIGHT: Earlier this season, Nicholle Aston set the school record for field goal percentage in a single game, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the field vs. Marshall on Nov. 26.
 
LOW PERCENTAGE SHOTS: Since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Cornell held 35 of its 70 opponents (50 percent) to below 40 percent shooting from the floor, including 7-of-14 opponents (50 percent) so far this season.
 
CLOSE CALLS: Since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, the Big Red has had 45-of-125 games (36 percent) decided by eight points or fewer. In those games, Cornell has posted a 23-22 record (.511).
 
FIRST MINUTES: Through the first eight games of the season, just one freshman – Christine Ehland – had seen playing time, seeing action against Hartford, Fairfield, Marshall, Bucknell and Buffalo. Since that time, the four other healthy members of the class - Janée Dennis, Marisa Knox, Janelle Odionu, and Paige Samuelson – have seen their first minutes of the season.
 
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 133 career coaching wins.
 
STUDYING THE OPPONENTS: Since the 1980-81 season, the Big Red is 13-21 coming out of Cornell's two-week study break. However, Coach Smith's teams have fared much better, posting a record of 8-5 in the first game back from exams, a mark that was raised this season with Cornell's 70-59 overtime victory against Robert Morris on Dec. 20.
 
SMARTY PANTS: Cornell led all Ivy League teams and ranked 20th nationally when the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its Academic Top 25 for the 2013-14 season. Head coach Dayna Smith's team posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.420 in 2013-14. Cornell was one of three Ivy League schools in the rankings, joining Yale (23rd, 3.397) and Brown (24^th, 3.394). The University of Missouri-Kansas City led the way with a 3.628 grade point average.
 
FOR OPENERS: The Big Red is 19-25 all-time in season openers after its 48-46 heartbreaking loss to Hartford on Nov. 14. Coach Dayna Smith is now 3-10 in season openers.
 
FRESHMAN [FOUR]CE: With two starters and two others contributing significant minutes, four members of last season's freshman class – Kerri Moran, Nia Marshall, Nicholle Aston and Megan LeDuc – put their stamp on the 2013-14 season. All four averaged more than 11 minutes per game and as a group, they shot 42 percent (253-of-605) from the floor. The quartet also contributing an average of 24.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
 
100 THREES: The Big Red has amassed at least 100 3-pointers in each of the last seven 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.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK NOTES
• In total, Nia Marshall was named Rookie of the Week  five times last season (Dec. 2, Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 3, Feb. 10) becoming the first Big Red player to earn five Rookie of the Week selections since Jeomi Maduka was chosen seven times during the 2005-06 season.
• 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.
• Nia Marshall was the first Cornell player to receive two Rookie of the Week awards in a single season since Lauren Benson in 2006-07.
 
HI, MY NAME IS: Cornell has a pair of new faces on the bench for the 2014-15 season – assistant coaches Todd Goclowski and Brendan Burke. A coach with 15 years of experience, Goclowski came to East Hill after eight highly successful years Lebanon Valley College, where he was the winningest coach in the history of the program. Burke came to Cornell after three seasons at Boston University, where he served as the Director of Basketball Operations for two seasons.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Big Red adds six players to the 2014-15 squad – Janée Dennis (Burlington, N.J.), Christine Ehland (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Jamie Hill (Montville, Conn.), Marisa Knox (Memphis, Tenn.), Janelle Odionu (Newmarket, Ala.) and Paige Samuelson (Rock Hill, S.C.). The class comes from six different states and consists of three forwards and three guards.
 
WHAT WAS LOST: The Big Red graduated five players from the 2013-14 squad – Aspen Chandler, Joelle Davidson, Allyson DiMagno, Stephanie Long, and Shelby Lyman – and lost one other non-letter winners. The six players accounted for an average of 37.7 points and 19.0 rebounds per game.

WHAT REMAINS: Cornell returns two starters and six letter winners from last season's squad. The Big Red returns 42% of its scoring (751-of-1,768 points) and 49% of its rebounding (488-of-988) from a year ago.
 
UP NEXT: The Big Red will complete the home-and-home series with Columbia when it travels to New York City next weekend to take on the Lions on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m.