ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell dominated the paint, had three players in double figures and roared to its third straight win with a 79-53 victory over Hampton on Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena. The Big Red evened its record at 5-5, while the Pirates fell to 4-6.

Laura Bagwell-Katalinich had a career high 21 points and added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot to lead the Big Red. Halley Miklos matched her career high with 14 points and Theresa Grace Mbanefo had 12 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing out on her first career double-double. The Big Red shot 60 percent over the first three quarters, had 23 assists and 17 steals as a team. Cornell held a decisive 49-31 edge on the glass and outscored the Pirates 60-33 in the paint.

Caitlyn Smith chipped in eight points, Samantha Widmann had seven to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Danielle Jorgenson had six points, seven assists, four steals and three boards for the Big Red.  

Hampton was led by Ashley Batles' 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals, while Alyssa Sweeney had 12 points off the bench. The Pirates, who didn't get into Ithaca until early Saturday morning due to travel issues, shot just 33 percent overall.

The Big Red led wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 14-point halftime lead thanks to its dominance on the glass (28-14) and in the paint (outscored the Pirates 28-17). Bagwell-Katalinich scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting with five boards, with her eight field goals one fewer than Hampton tallied in the first 20 minutes. Miklos added 10 points before the break, while Widmann grabbed six boards and Sramac had five.

After a dominant start, Hampton eventually worked its way back into the contest, making it just a three-point Cornell lead after Bates scored on a driving layup at the 5:31 mark of the second quarter to make it 24-21. A traditional three-point play from Bagwell-Katalinich ended the threat as she sparked a 14-2 run to push the home team's edge to 15 (38-23) a little more than three minutes later. During the run, the junior transfer scored eight points and assisted on another bucket. 

The Pirates wre unable to make a serious charge after the intermission, though Hampton briefly got within single digits (42-34) with 5:53 remaining in the third. Cornell answered right back, closing the quarter on a 17-2 run that all but ended the Pirates' night. Cornell upped the lead to as many as 26 and was able to clear the bench midway through the fourth.

Cornell forced 28 turnovers, and though it coughed it up 22 times itself, was able to transition its live-ball steals into a 29-9 edge in points off turnovers.

The Big Red will have a quick turnaround as it ends 2018 with a New Years Eve contest vs. St. Bonaventure at Newman Arena at 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31.