OLEAN, N.Y. – Back in action for the first time since Dec. 10, the Cornell women's basketball team didn't skip a beat, routing St. Bonaventure, 70-42, on Sunday afternoon at the Reilly Center in Olean, N.Y.
Sunday's victory for the Big Red was a total team effort, as three Cornell student-athletes notched double figures and 12 different players scored at least a point. The entire Big Red roster fed off of each other en route to posting its largest margin of victory (28) of the season. With the win, Cornell improves to 6-4 on the season, while St. Bonaventure falls to 3-10.
Senior guard/forward Samantha Widmann paced the Big Red, recording game-highs in points (14) and rebounds (6) and shooting 6-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc. She also chipped in two assists, two blocks, and a steal. Freshman Shannon Mulroy was Widmann's partner in crime, finishing with 13 points, just one off of her career high, on 5-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 from long range. The New Jersey natives were a huge reason why Cornell out-shot St. Bonaventure 57.4 percent to 26.9 percent for the game, and 46.2 percent to 9.5 percent from 3-point land.
Laura Bagwell-Katalinich scored in double figures for the ninth time this season and the 32nd time of her career, finishing the contest with 11 points and five rebounds. Bagwell-Katalinich, along with Halley Miklos and Theresa Grace Mbanefo, helped Cornell build a strong presence inside, as the Big Red outscored St. Bonaventure in the paint, 34-12.
Cornell's zone defense stifled St. Bonaventure in the first half, holding the Bonnies to its lowest first-half point total of the season, as the Big Red carried a 31-14 lead into the locker room. The Big Red's pressure on defense kept St. Bonaventure off balance and the Bonnies' shooting was ice-cold. St. Bonaventure shot just 20 percent from the field in the first half, including 7.7 percent in the first quarter. Cornell held the Bonnies to only five field goals for the entire half (5-of-25) while limiting St. Bonaventure to a single basket in the opening period of play (1-of-13).
The Big Red, on the other hand, came out of the gates on fire. With Widmann as the catalyst, Cornell shot an astounding 80 percent from the field in the first quarter, going 8-of-10 from the field. This laid the foundation for the Big Red to shoot 52 percent from the floor for the half, including 4-of-8 from long range.
Cornell jumped out to an early 9-0 lead to open the game and never looked back. Widmann was unstoppable in the early going, scoring seven of the first nine Big Red points after sinking her first three field goal attempts, including a 3-pointer. Widmann's defense was also on point, as she stuffed a St. Bonaventure 3-point attempt as the shot clock was expiring on the Bonnies' very first possession of the game. This was a preview of what was to come, as the Cornell defense would plague St. Bonaventure's offensive efforts all-game-long.
With Cornell holding an 18-5 lead at the start of the second quarter, Mulroy pushed the envelope, knocking down two baskets from long range in the opening four minutes of the second period to help extend the Big Red's lead to 26-7. Cornell was firing on all cylinders on both sides of the basketball, as Widmann continued to create more possessions for the Big Red, taking multiple charges in the first half and leading Cornell into the locker room with a comfortable 31-14 lead.
Just because the Big Red had a comfortable lead does not mean that Cornell got comfortable. Kate Sramac set the tone coming out of the locker room, as the Ivy League leader in steals notched two quick takeaways and contributed to a third to help Cornell go on a 14-5 run over the first two minutes of the quarter and extend its lead to 45-19. Sramac also distributed the ball beautifully, finishing the contest with a game-high four assists.
As the Big Red continued to extend its lead, it was Dylan Higgins turn to take the spotlight. The senior guard scored five quick points at the 4:26 mark in the third quarter, including a contested lay-up in transition that led to a completed 3-point play. This would help push Cornell's lead to 57-25 at the end of the third quarter, as the Big Red outscored the Bonnies, 26-11, in the frame.
Cornell extended it's lead all the way to 36 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Bonnies, 62-26, with 7:23 remaining in the game. Every Big Red student-athlete saw the floor and contributed to the Big Red's 70-42 victory over St. Bonaventure.
The Cornell women's basketball team will close out the calendar year with a contest against #19/21 West Virginia on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va.
