DOVER, DEL. – Laura Bagwell-Katalinich exploded for a career-high 29 points and 13 rebounds against Delaware State, guiding the Cornell women's basketball team to a 77-51 victory over the Hornets on Saturday night at Memorial Hall Gym in Dover, Delaware. The win marked the third-straight for the Big Red, who improve to 4-2 on the season.

The Hornets quite frankly did not have an answer for Bagwell-Katalinich, who notched her third double-double of the season and set a new career-high in points, surpassing her previous career-best of 26 points that she set on March 1, 2019 against Yale. She shot an impressive 13-of-20 from the floor on Saturday night, scoring 20 of her 29 points in the second half, while also chipping in two assists and a block.

Bagwell-Katalinich was joined in double-figures by seniors Samantha Widmann (14) and Danielle Jorgenson (11). Widmann continues to be a huge scoring and rebounding threat, notching seven boards, three offensive and four defensive. Jorgenson connected on 2-of-4 attempts from behind the arc, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor while also collecting three assists and a steal.

Kate Sramac and Halley Miklos made an impact on the game in their own ways, as Sramac notched nine points and a game-high four assists, while Miklos corralled eight rebounds and scored six points.

As a team, Cornell out-shot Delaware State .533 to .290 for the game. A big reason for this was the high percentage shots that the Big Red took, effectively working the ball inside and scoring 42 points in the paint as compared to the Hornets' 14. Cornell also capitalized on Delaware State's 17 turnovers, scoring 23 points off of them. Conversely, Delaware State only recorded five points off of Cornell's miscues.

The Big Red continues to be a menace on the glass, out-rebounding its opponent for the sixth time in just as many games. Cornell collected 46 rebounds on Saturday night while holding Delaware State to just 28.

Cornell opened the game on an 8-3 run to start the first, as a Bagwell-Katalinich put-back, Miklos reverse lay-up, and pair of Shannon Mulroy baskets got the Big Red off to a great start. Delaware State quickly settled down, scoring five of the next seven points to cut Cornell's lead to one at 10-9 in the early going. Baskets by Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Widmann got the Big Red back on the right foot, but a Sharajah Collins three at the first quarter buzzer sliced the Cornell lead to 14-12 at the end of the first period of play.

Delaware State opened up the second quarter with another three, taking what would be its only lead of the game at 15-14. With the Hornets on a 6-0 run, Jorgenson responded with a pivotal three-pointer of her own, swinging the momentum in favor of the Big Red. In addition to Jorgenson's shot giving Cornell back the lead at 17-15, it lit a fire under the Big Red, who would go on to outscore the Hornets in the second quarter, 22-12, and give the Big Red a 36-24 lead at the half.

Cornell utilized a very balanced offensive attack in first half, as six Cornell players notched at least four points. Widmann was a big part of the successful second quarter, notching six points and two rebounds to bring her totals to eight points and four rebounds at the half. Bagwell-Katalinich headed into locker room with nine points and six rebounds.

Widmann picked up right where she left off to open the third quarter, scoring the first points of the second half to extend Cornell's lead to 39-24. Delaware State scored two straight baskets to cut Big Red lead to 39-28, but the Big Red once again put its foot on the gas pedal, going on a 7-0 run. Following a Sramac three-pointer, the Big Red led 45-28.

Delaware State would not go away, however, notching an 8-0 run to cut the Cornell lead to nine at 45-36. This would be as close as the Hornets would get, however, as Cornell would go on a 19-4 run spanning over the third and fourth quarters, building a 64-40 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the game.

This massive run included a 10-0 run to open the fourth quarter, and of those 10 points, Bagwell-Katalinich tallied eight of them. The Big Red would out-score the Hornets 23-11 in the fourth quarter and go on to win its third straight game with a 77-51 victory over Delaware State.

The Cornell women's basketball team will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. when it plays a road match against UMass-Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts.