ITHACA, N.Y. – Despite seniors Samantha Widmann and Laura Bagwell-Katalinich reaching the double-digit point plateau, Harvard prevailed, defeating the Cornell women's basketball team, 73-58, on Friday evening at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

The first half of Friday's contest was eerily similar to the Big Red's last few games, as Harvard utilized hot first-quarter shooting and reaped the benefits of Cornell's second quarter shooting woes, building a substantial 19-point lead at halftime. For the second-straight contest, the Big Red has fallen victim to a sharp-shooter in the first quarter, putting it behind the eight-ball. On Friday, it was Harvard freshman Lola Mullaney who made Cornell pay. The Ivy League's leader in 3-point field goals made per game (3.2), Mullaney did what she does best, sinking three 3-pointers in the opening 10-minutes of play to give Harvard a 23-15 lead over the Big Red at the end of the first quarter. As a team, Harvard simply could not miss, shooting an impressive 80.0% from the floor (8-of-10) in the first period of play.

Although Harvard cooled off in the second quarter, Cornell got colder, struggling to find the bottom of the net. The Big Red went just 1-of-9 (9.1%) from the field in the second quarter, being outscored by the Crimson, 15-4. Harvard out-shot Cornell, 56.0% to 29.2%, in the first half, and the Big Red entered the locker room trailing, 38-19. Widmann kept the Big Red afloat in the first half, going 4-of-5 from the field for nine points, nearly half of Cornell's point total through two quarters of play.

Showing the constant fight that it has all season, the Big Red came out of the locker room ready to get to work, and that's exactly what it did. The Cornell press that has created opportunities for the Big Red all season long rattled the Crimson, and the Big Red opened the second half on a 10-0 run to cut its deficit to nine at 38-29. Cornell forced Harvard into seven third-quarter turnovers, nearly a third of its 23 for the game.

But every time Cornell whittled away at Harvard's lead, the Crimson would hit big shots to re-extend its cushion. The Big Red held Harvard scoreless for the first five and a half minutes of the third quarter, but once the Crimson regained its footing, it went on an 8-0 run of its own to take a 49-31 lead with a minute remaining in the third.

Cornell again showed that it wasn't going away, matching Harvard's 8-0 run over the final minute of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter to get the Crimson lead back to 10, 49-39, with nine minutes left in the contest. This is as close as Cornell would get, however, as Harvard would use back-to-back Tess Sussman 3-pointers to pull away and go on to a 73-58 victory.

Widmann notched a team-high 17 points for Cornell, while Bagwell-Katalinich posted 13 points and seven rebounds. Making her first start of the season, senior Danielle Jorgenson was captivating on defense, putting high pressure on Harvard's point guards and forcing a game-high four steals. Jorgenson finished the contest with a solid, well-rounded stat line, collecting eight points, five assists, and four steals, while only committing one turnover. Dylan Higgins provided a spark off the bench, scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds.

Led by Sussman's game-high 20 points, the Crimson placed four in double figures, as Jeannie Boehm (14), Mullaney (15), and McCarthy (11) all scored in double digits. Sussman and Mullaney combined for eight of Harvard's 10 3-pointers for the game, making it tough for Cornell to claw its way back into the game despite tremendous effort. Harvard shot an impressive 55.6% from the field (25-45), including 58.8% from 3-point land, for the contest.

The Cornell women's basketball team, who fell to 9-10 overall and 2-5 in the Ivy League with tonight's loss, will look to snap a four-game losing skid when it hosts Dartmouth tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.