ITHACA, N.Y. – Winners of four of its last five contests, the Cornell women's basketball team will play its final game before the holiday break when it welcomes Duquesne to Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION

GAME #9: Cornell vs. Duquesne
GAME TIME: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
GAME SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Duquesne leads, 4-0
LAST MEETING: Duquesne won, 74-69, Nov. 13, 2009 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2019-20 RECORDS: Cornell (5-3, 0-0 Ivy League), Duquesne (7-2, 0-0 A10)
LIVE VIDEO (ESPN+): es.pn/34Sm99L
LIVE STATS: bit.ly/2QYOQhc
TICKETS: bit.ly/2LseqaA

FULL GAME NOTES

QUICK HITS:

• In its most recent outing against Binghamton on Dec. 5, the Big Red held the unbeaten Bearcats to its lowest team point total all season, but Binghamton persevered, snapping Cornell's four-game win streak with a 59-56 victory over the Big Red.
• Although Cornell fell, the Big Red once again dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Bearcats 48-30, including 24-12 on the offensive side of the ball.
• Cornell has held the rebounding advantage in every contest it has played so far this season, currently owning a +15.9 rebounding margin, a mark which ranks second in all of Division I and leads the Ivy League. The Big Red dominates this statistic among its Ivy League counterparts, as Princeton ranks second with an +8.4 margin.
• Cornell was led in the loss by Laura Bagwell-Katalinich, who posted game highs of 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Big Red. This marked Bagwell-Katalinich's third 20-point outing of the season, as well as her fourth double-double of the 2019-20 campaign. She has now scored in double-figures in seven of the Big Red's eight games and has notched at least 15 rebounds in two contests.
• Bagwell-Katalinich currently ranks 21st in the nation in double doubles (4), while leading the Ivy League in free throw percentage (.821) and ranking second in field goal percentage (.543).
• Kate Sramac currently leads the Ivy League in steals (2.4 spg).
• Duquesne enters Thursday's contest with some major momentum, winning seven-straight contests en route to a 7-2 record.
• Duquesne has played a very away-heavy schedule thus far, and it has not phased the Dukes, who have a 5-1 record in road games so far this season.
• Duquesne's roster features seven international players from six different countries.
• Duquesne will be the first of two-consecutive Atlantic-10 teams that the Big Red will face, as Cornell will travel to St. Bonaventure for a matchup on Dec. 29.

THE SERIES VS. DUQUESNE:

• Thursday's matchup will be the fifth meeting between the two teams, and the first time the Dukes and the Big Red will square off in a decade.
• The schools first faced each other in 2003-04, frequenting each other's schedules through the 2000s, but it has since been 10 years since the two teams have met.
• Cornell will be seeking its first win over Duquesne in program history, as the Dukes hold a 4-0 series advantage, winning all four prior matchups.
• Duquesne won the last meeting, 74-69, on Nov. 13, 2009 in Ithaca, N.Y.

A WIN OVER DUQUESNE WOULD:

• Improve the Big Red's record to 6-3 on the season.
• Be Cornell's fifth win in six games.
• Be the first win over the Dukes in program history for the Big Red.
• Snap Duquesne's seven game win-streak.
• Make Cornell 10-16 all-time against the Atlantic 10.

CORNELL VS. THE ATLANTIC 10:

• Cornell has a 9-16 record all-time against the current members of the A10.
• The Big Red's series with St. Bonaventure (6-6) and Davidson (1-1) is tied.
• Dayton (0-1), Duquesne (0-4), Fordham (1-2), Richmond (0-1) and UMass (0-1) all have a winning record vs. the Big Red.
• If Cornell can knock-off the Dukes, it would mark the second-straight year that the Big Red has beaten an A10 opponent, as Cornell beat St. Bonaventure, 58-44, last season on Dec. 31, 2018.

SCOUTING DUQUESNE:

• Duquesne (7-2) has emerged victorious in its last seven contests, coming into Tuesday's contest on a seven-game win streak.
• The Dukes downed Toledo, 79-74, in its most recent outing on Saturday, Dec. 7, knocking down 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute to hold off the Rockets' fourth quarter surge.
• Duquesne finds a way to get to the charity stripe, sitting 24th in the nation in free throw attempts (192) and 34th in the nation in free throws made (127).
• The Dukes have been solid from behind the arc this season, ranking 31st in the nation in made 3-point field goals (73) and shooting .364 from behind the arc as a team. In its contest against Akron on Dec. 4, Duquesne tied a program record for most made 3-pointers in a single game, sinking 14.
• Duquesne has the ability to put points on the board, ranking 36th in Division I in scoring offense and averaging 76.9 points per game.
• The Dukes have been led so far this season by Libby Bazelak (13.4 ppg), Amanda Kalin (12.2 ppg), and Laia Sole (11.2 ppg), who are all averaging double figures. Four additional Dukes are averaging at least 7.0 points per game, creating an extremely balanced offensive attack.
• Kalin also leads the team in rebounds per game (5.6) and assists per game (4.4).

PROTECTING THE RIM:

The Big Red has guarded the rim with pride through its first eight games, out-rebounding its opponent in every contest thus far and holding its opponents to an Ivy League-best 27.5 rebounds/game. Even more impressive, the Big Red currently ranks second in the nation and first in the Ivy League in rebounding margin, out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 15.6 rebounds per game.

SHARING THE WEALTH:

Cornell has been selfless with the basketball so far this season, ranking second in the Ivy League as a team in assists/game (16.75) and having four student-athletes ranked in the top-25 of the conference in this statistical category: Shannon Mulroy (5th – 3.5 apg), Kate Sramac (8th – 3.0 apg), Laura Bagwell-Katalinich (19th – 2.3 apg), and Samantha Widmann (21st – 2.1 apg). Thanks to this team effort, Cornell sits 36th in the nation in assists/game (16.8) and 51st in assists (134).

SHARP SHOOTING:

Cornell has found a way to generate high percentage shots through its first eight contests, and the team has capitalized on them, currently leading the Ivy League and ranking 36th in the nation in field goal percentage (.456).

STRENGTH COMES IN NUMBERS:

So far this season, the Big Red has had at least three student-athletes score in double-figures in five out of Cornell's eight games. Several key contributors have been Laura Bagwell-Katalinich (16.8 ppg) and Samantha Widmann (12.8 ppg), who have led Cornell in scoring in seven of its eight games during the 2019-20 campaign. The pair has scored in double figures seven and six times, respectively, so far this season. Either Bagwell-Katalinich (8.6 rpg) or Widmann (8.0 rpg) has also led Cornell in rebounding in every contest this season.

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS:

As a team, Cornell ranks within the top-75 of the NCAA in the following statistical categories:
• 2nd in rebounding margin (+15.6)
• 34th in scoring defense (55.1 ppg)
• 36th in assists/game (16.8)
• 36th in field goal percentage (45.6)
• 39th in rebounds/game (43.38)
• 39th in field goal percentage defense (.348)
• 51st in assists (134)
• 73rd in scoring margin (+11.3)

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

Several Big Red student-athletes are making their presence known on the national stage, ranking in the top-100 of the NCAA in the following statistical categories:
• Laura Bagwell-Katalinich – 21st in double-doubles (4 – through eight games), 62nd in field goal percentage (.543), 68th in free throws made (32), 92nd in points per game (16.8), 92nd in rebounds per game (8.6), 97th in free throw percentage (.821)
• Samantha Widmann – 61st in minutes played/game (35.6), 69th in field goal percentage (.538),
• Kate Sramac – 86th in steals (19), 89th in steals/game (2.4)

IVY LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

Through nearly a month of play, the following Big Red student-athletes rank among the best in the Ivy League in the following statistical categories:
• Laura Bagwell-Katalinich – 1st in free throw percentage (.821), 2nd in field goal percentage (.543), 3rd in rebounding (8.6 rpg), 3rd in scoring (16.8 ppg)
• Kate Sramac – 1st in steals (2.4 spg), 5th in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), 8th in assists (3.0 apg), 10th in 3-PT field goals per game (1.4)
• Samantha Widmann – 2nd in minutes played (35.4/game), 3rd in field goal percentage (.538), 4th in rebounding (8.0 rpg), 9th in scoring (12.8 ppg)
• Theresa Grace Mbanefo – 5th in blocks (1.3 bpg)
• Shannon Mulroy – 5th in assists (3.5 apg), 7th in assist/turnover ratio (1.0), 13th in 3-PT field goals per game (1.3)
• Halley Miklos – 15th in rebounding (5.6 rpg)

BAGWELL-KATALINICH NAMED IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF WEEK:

For the first time of her career, Cornell women's basketball senior forward Laura Bagwell-Katalinich was named the Ivy League Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday, Nov. 25. In addition to being honored by the conference, Bagwell-Katalinich was also deemed the College Sports Madness Ivy League Player of the Week.
 
Between Cornell's two contests against Niagara on Nov. 21 and Delaware State on Nov. 23, Bagwell-Katalinich averaged 25.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. In addition, she shot 13-of-14 from the charity stripe over the two games, including a perfect 10-of-10 against Niagara.
 
To date, Bagwell-Katalinich has scored in double figures in seven out of Cornell's eight games so far this season, including three 20-point performances. She has already notched four double-doubles and has recorded at least 15 rebounds on two separate occasions.

RECAPPING THE 2018-19 SEASON:

The Big Red finished the season with a 12-14 overall record and a mark of 6-8 in the Ivy League. After winning three of its final four contests, the Big Red finished in a tie for fourth place in the Ivy League and clinched a spot in the Ivy League Tournament for the first time since the tournament's inception three years ago.

WHAT WAS LOST:

• The Big Red graduated one senior from the 2018-19 squad in co-captain Samantha Clement, also losing one letter winner as well as one non-letter winner.

WHAT REMAINS:

• Cornell returns all five starters and nine letter winners from a year ago.
• The team returns its top scorer (16.1 ppg) and rebounder (7.9 rpg) from 2018-19 in Laura Bagwell-Katalinich, as well as its second leading scorer (10.8) and rebounder (6.9), Samantha Widmann.
• Widmann and Bagwell-Katalinich will serve as captains for the 2019-20 season.
• Widmann enters her third term as team captain, becoming only the second player in program history (Karen Force '04) to serve as a three-time team captain.
• Bagwell-Katalinich returns to the team after becoming only the 11th player in program history to be named first team All-Ivy League.
• Senior point guard Danielle Jorgenson returns invaluable experience, starting 53 consecutive games over her sophomore and junior seasons.
• Kate Sramac and Halley Miklos are back and ready to make an even bigger impact this season after making 19 and 17 starts, respectively, a season ago.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:

•The Big Red added four freshmen to the 2019-20 squad.
• The group hails from four different states – California, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York.
• The group consists of one point guard (Shannon Mulroy), two guards (Ania McNicholas, KC Carter), and one forward (Anna Hovis).

IVY PRESEASON RANKINGS:

•  The Big Red was picked fifth overall in the 2019-20 Ivy League Preseason Media Poll with 60 voter points.
• This marked vast improvement from last season, when the Big Red were selected eighth in the preseason poll.
• Princeton and Penn tied for first in the poll, each collecting 125 voter points after sharing the regular season Ivy League crown in 2018-19.
• Princeton held a slight advantage in the voting after winning the 2019 Ivy League Tournament, receiving 10 first place votes as compared to Penn's seven.
• Harvard (95) and Yale (90), were selected to finish third and fourth, respectively.
• Columbia (47), Dartmouth (47), and Brown (23) rounded out the bottom three.

HEAD COACH DAYNA SMITH:

• In her 18th season at the helm of the Big Red program, head coach Dayna Smith ranks fourth overall in Ivy League women's basketball history in years served as a head coach in the conference.
• Only one active coach, Harvard's Kathy Delaney-Smith (37th season), ranks ahead of Cornell's Smith.
• Smith is the winningest coach in Cornell history, and reached the 150-win mark for her career with the team's overtime victory vs. Dartmouth on Jan. 30, 2016.
• She currently stands at 193 career victories.

FRESH PERSPECTIVES:

Coach Smith welcomed two new assistant coaches to the staff for the 2019-20 season - Claire Mattox (Washington College '14) and Joe Rutigliano (Canisius '15).

UP NEXT:

The Big Red will return to action when it hits the road for a matchup against St. Bonaventure on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. in Olean, N.Y.