EASTON, Pa. – Cornell got a late three-point play from Samantha Widmann and then forced Lafayette into two turnovers and a bad shot in the final seven seconds to escape Kirby Sports Complex with a 62-59 victory this afternoon.  The win snapped an eight-game losing streak on the road by the Big Red and improved Cornell to 4-5 on the season.
 
Widmann's heroics came immediately after Lafayette took its first lead of the contest on a layup from Natalie Kucowski with 53 seconds to play. The junior guard caught the ball on the left elbow and drove to the hoop, hitting the shot and then making the free throw with 12 seconds showing to stake the Big Red a 60-59 lead. Cornell forced turnovers on each of the Leopards next two possessions and Samantha Clement and Danielle Jorgenson made one free throw apiece to put the visitors up, 62-59, with 2.7 seconds to play. The Leopards called timeout and advanced the ball past half court, but tough defense by Dylan Higgins and Samantha Clement forced a desperation shot and sent the Big Red celebrating off the court.
 
Cornell had four players in double-digits, led by Laura Bagwell-Katalinch's 18 points, while Widmann, Clement and Theresa Grace Mbanefo finished with 10 points apiece. Widmann also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and two assists.
 
Drew Freeland led Lafayette with 23 points, while Kucowski registered a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double.
 
The Big Red shot .414 from the floor (24-58) and .294 from 3-point range (5-17), while holding Lafayette to .379 percent overall (22-58). But the Leopards used a .500 performance from beyond the arc (9-18) to stay in the contest. Lafayette, which averages 45.1 rebounds per game, was held well below its average, with a slim, 36-35 advantage. Cornell also forced the Leopards into 22 turnovers with 10 steals.
 
Cornell forced nine first quarter turnovers and held the Leopards without a point for nearly nine minutes as the Big Red jumped out to a 13-0 lead. A pair of late treys by Lafayette closed the gap for the home team but Cornell still took a 17-6 advantage into the first break.
 
Bagwell-Katalinch scored the Big Red's first six points of the second quarter as the visitors pushed its advantage to 23-9. Lafayette battle back within single digits with a 5-0 run, but a trey from Kate Sramac and a baseline jumper from Jorgenson pushed Cornell's lead back to 28-14 with 1:51 to go in the half. The Leopards answered once more with consecutive buckets, before the teams traded layups, including a steal and finish from Widmann, to send Cornell into halftime with a 30-21 lead. 
 
Three early fouls and some cold shooting opened the door for the Leopards, who scored the first eight points of the third quarter to cut Cornell's lead to 30-29 at the 6:52 mark. A traditional three-point play by Bagwell-Katlinich ended Cornell's drought and opened a 7-0 Cornell run to put the visitors up, 37-29, with just over five minutes to go in the stanza. Three made free throws from Lafayette's' Nicole Johnson ended Cornell's run, but moments later a trey from Clement and a sweet backdoor cut and finish from Mbanefo pushed Cornell's lead back to double-digits. Cornell extended its lead to 45-32, but a late run by the Leopards cut the Big Red's lead to 45-37 at the final break.
 
The teams traded treys to open the fourth quarter, and a 6-2 Lafayette run made it a four-point game (50-46) with 4:46 to play. Clement ended the run with a big trey, opening a 7-3 run for the visitors to go up, 57-49 at the 3:06 mark but Cornell's lead evaporated when a traditional three-point play from Alex Cantwell opened up a 9-0 run to hand the Leopards their first lead of the contest.
 
The Big Red breaks for the holiday before returning to Newman Arena to take on Hampton at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29, before welcoming St. Bonaventure at 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31.