PRINCETON, N.J. --- Despite junior Nicholle Aston's 22 points, which tied a career high, Cornell women's basketball suffered a 71-51 loss to Princeton in Jadwin Gymnasium on Friday night.

The Big Red (13-8, 5-2 Ivy League) played the Tigers closely through the first half, but a 23-point third quarter pushed Princeton out of reach. Three players finished in double figures for the Tigers, with Annie Tarakchian leading with 12, Jordan Muhammad adding 11, and Alex Wheatley putting up 10.

Aston added seven rebounds to her 22 points, and junior Megan LeDuc recorded six assists and no turnovers.
 
After Princeton (16-4, 5-1) had taken an early 6-0 lead, freshman Caroline Shelquist knocked down a three-pointer from well beyond the arc, and junior Nia Marshall added a layup to bring the Big Red within one. Moments later, Shelquist added another trey, this time from the left side, to give Cornell its first lead of the night, 10-8. The Tigers then knotted the score at 10 before Amanda Bernsten's three at the other end put Princeton back on top, 13-10. Sophomore Christine Ehland snapped a 9-0 Tigers run to cut the deficit to 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Aston put up 10 of Cornell's 14 points of the second quarter. Her first four of the stanza, including a pair of free throws, cut the Tigers' lead to four. Then, three consecutive offensive rebounds, including one by Marisa Knox who dove out of bounds to save the ball, kept the possession with the Big Red and Ehland brought Cornell with two. Aston evened the score at 20, before Princeton went on a 12-6 run to lead 32-26 at the half.
 
Annie Tarakchian's three-pointer gave the Tigers a 10-point lead early in the third quarter, sparking a 23-point quarter for Princeton. After back-to-back baskets for Wheatly and a foul shot from Taylor Williams put the Tigers up 47-29, Ehland made a pair of free throws to halt an 11-0 streak for the Tigers, and Aston added four points late in the frame, but Princeton led by 20, 55-35, headed into the final quarter.
 
 Knox completed a three-point play, making her free throw after drawing a foul on a made shot, to bring the score to 61-40 midway through the fourth period. Four more points from Aston and a long-range three from Shelquist narrowed the Tigers' lead to 16, but Princeton pushed it back to 20 with help from Qalea Ismail.
 
The Big Red is back in action Saturday night when the team travels to Ivy League-leading Penn for a 7 p.m. tipoff.