ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's basketball team's 82-59 victory over Niagara on Thursday night at Newman Arena was a total team effort, as five Cornell student-athletes scored in double figures and 10 different players registered at least one assist. With five student-athletes posting double-figures, this marks the first time that Cornell has accomplished this feat since the 2017 season.
Laura Bagwell-Katalinich spearheaded an extremely balanced Big Red offense, pouring in a season-best 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting and going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. This marks the second-consecutive season that Bagwell-Katalinich has notched 10 points in a game from the free throw line, also doing so in a 66-56 win against Yale on March 1, 2019. In addition to her 22 points on Thursday evening, Bagwell-Katalinich contributed six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Samantha Widmann was Bagwell-Katalinich's partner in crime against the Purple Eagles, notching 17 points and eight rebounds.
Shannon Mulroy was on fire from behind the arc, and is quickly becoming a sharp shooter for the Big Red. The freshman knocked down 4-of-5 three pointers that she attempted en route to 14 points.
Theresa Grace Mbanefo and
Kate Sramac also joined the party, chipping in 10 points apiece. Mbanefo is beginning to make an impact for Cornell in multiple facets of the game, adding seven rebounds and blocking four shots. Sramac was a big reason why the Big Red collected 22 assists as compared to Niagara's 10, notching five assists of her own.
In addition to dominating the Purple Eagles in the assist category, the Big Red out-rebounded Niagara, 45-30. Cornell has now held the rebounding advantage in every contest it has played so far this season.
Halley Miklos has been a consistent rebounding presence for Cornell, corralling seven boards on Thursday night, in addition to five assists and three steals.
Cornell was also able to get out in transition over the course of the game, utilizing an effective press that made Niagara scramble. The Big Red forced the Purple Eagles into 26 turnovers, and scored 24 fast break points as compared to Niagara's eight.
The Big Red never looked back after a 9-0 run to start the game, though the Purple Eagles kept itself in the game, trailing by seven at the end of the first (20-13) and getting within 22-20 when Jai Moore hit a pull-up jumper with 8:33 left in the second. That triggered a 12-0 Big Red run, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by Mulroy. Cornell led 43-32 at the half.
In the first 20 minutes of play, Cornell shot 50 percent from the floor and never trailed, building its lead to as many as 15 points on the strength of Bagwell-Katalinich's and Widmann's 12 points apiece. Widmann added five rebounds, and Mbanefo grabbed five rebounds as well. The Big Red forced 14 Niagara turnovers, though the Purple Eagles drilled five 3-pointers to keep itself alive. Three of those treys came off the hand of Maggie McIntyre, who scored nine points before the break.
Cornell came out of halftime and quickly put the game away, scoring the first seven points of the third quarter as part of a 12-2 run, as the lead grew to as many as 24.
A 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter had the Purple Eagles within 12 (63-51) and with all the momentum, but Mulroy connected on her fourth 3-pointer of the game to push the advantage back to 15 and Cornell never looked back, going on to win the game, 82-59.
The Cornell women's basketball team will be back in action when it squares off against Delaware State on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. in Dover, Delaware.
