ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell women's basketball team will play its first two contests of a four-game road stretch this weekend when it squares off against Yale on Friday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. in New Haven, Conn. and Brown on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. in Providence, R.I.

GAME INFORMATION

GAME #21: Cornell at Yale
GAME TIME: Friday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.
GAME SITE: John J. Lee Amphitheater (New Haven, Conn.)
SERIES RECORD: Yale leads, 53-29
LAST MEETING: Yale won, 74-67, on Feb. 1, 2020 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2019-20 RECORDS: Cornell (9-11, 2-6 Ivy League), Yale (15-6, 5-3 Ivy League)
LIVE VIDEO (ESPN+): es.pn/2P7woRT
LIVE STATS: bit.ly/2V6CsNZ
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GAME #22: Cornell at Brown
GAME TIME: Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m.
GAME SITE: Pizzitola Sports Center (Providence, R.I.)
SERIES RECORD: Brown leads, 52-29
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 74-63, on Jan. 31, 2020 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2019-20 RECORDS: Cornell (9-11, 2-6 Ivy League)*, Brown (7-14, 1-7 Ivy League)*
LIVE VIDEO (ESPN+): es.pn/2wv1MDi
LIVE STATS: bit.ly/2P5IXgs
TICKETS: bit.ly/38SAAMQ

*Records prior to Friday's contests.

FULL GAME NOTES

SETTING THE SCENE:

• Cornell will begin the second rotation of Ivy League games at Yale and Brown this weekend as it prepares to face the Bulldogs and Bears for the second time this season.
• After losses to Harvard (73-58) and Dartmouth (67-65) last weekend, the Big Red will be looking to snap a five-game losing skid and get back on track against Yale and Brown.
• After opening conference play 4-0, Yale has dropped three of its last four contests, including its two games last weekend against Princeton (55-39) and Penn (53-51), to bring its Ivy League record to 5-3. The Bulldogs currently sit in a tie for third in the Ivy League.
• Brown will be eager to pick up a victory, having lost seven of its eight conference matchups to fall to 1-7 in the league and 7-14 overall.

QUICK HITS:

• Cornell will look to get back in the win column this weekend for the first time since the Big Red defeated Brown at home, 74-67, on Jan. 31.
• Laura Bagwell-Katalinich paced Cornell in its loss to Dartmouth last Saturday, scoring a game-high 23 points for her fourth 20-point outing of the season.
• Kate Sramac had quite the stat line against the Big Green, notching 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a career-high seven steals, the latter of which ranks fourth all-time in Cornell women's basketball history for a game.
• Samantha Widmann and Bagwell-Katalinich both scored in double-figures against Harvard, notching 17 and 13 points, respectively. Bagwell-Katalinich also added seven rebounds, five of which were offensive.
• Bagwell-Katalinich has been a scoring machine during her two seasons with the Big Red, notching double figures in 38 out of the 46 games she has played in a Cornell uniform.
• Samantha Widmann has worked her way into the top-10 all-time in Cornell women's basketball history in career offensive rebounds (5th - 208) and career defensive rebounds (8th - 370), as well as career steals (7th - 165).
• Widmann also became the 15th student-athlete in Big Red women's basketball history to score 1,000-career points earlier this season in Cornell's contest against Columbia on Jan. 25. Her 1,088 career points ranks 14th all-time in Big Red history.
• Cornell has crashed the offensive boards hard this season, currently leading the Ivy League in offensive rebounds per game (14.6).
• Dayna Smith, the Rebecca Quinn Morgan '60 Head Coach of Women's Basketball, is now just three wins away from amassing 200 for her career. She stands as the winningest coach in Big Red women's basketball history.

THE SERIES VS. YALE:

• Yale leads the all-time series, 53-29, dating all the way back to 1974-75.
• The Bulldogs have had success against Cornell at home, owning a 29-9 series record at John J. Lee Amphitheater.
• The Bulldogs put together quite a comeback in the third quarter the first time Cornell and Yale met earlier this season.
• Cornell led by 14 at halftime (40-26) at Newman Arena on Feb. 1, and Yale came storming back to even things up, 54-54, by the end of the third quarter and go on to win the contest, 74-67.

A WIN OVER YALE WOULD:

• Bring the Big Red's record to 10-11 overall and 3-6 in Ivy League play.
• Snap a five-game losing streak for the Big Red.
• Give Cornell a victory over Yale at John J. Lee Amphitheater in back-to-back years.
• Be the Big Red's first road victory since Cornell defeated St. Bonaventure, 70-42, on Dec. 29, 2019.
• Give Coach Smith 198 career victories, only two away from notching 200 for her career.

SCOUTING YALE (15-6, 5-3 Ivy):

• Yale has been led this season by the duo of senior guard Roxy Barahman and sophomore forward Camilla Emsbo, who are averaging 16.8 and 15.4 points per game, respectively. Those point averages are currently good for third and fifth in the conference.
• The pair did some damage to Cornell when the two teams met earlier this season, as Barahman put up 26 on the Big Red and Emsbo scored 24, combining for 50 of Yale's 74 points in the contest.
• Emsbo is also averaging 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, marks which rank second and third in the conference, respectively.
• Barahman is a pest on defense, currently leading the Ivy League in steals (2.4/game).
• Ellen Margaret Andrews has also been a face to watch for the Bulldogs, currently averaging 13.1 points and 2.0 steals per game, the latter of which ranks fourth in the conference.
• Led by Emsbo's conference-leading .563 shooting percentage from the floor, Yale currently leads the Ivy League as a team in field goal percentage (.438).

THE SERIES VS. BROWN:

• The Bears hold a 52-29 advantage over Cornell dating back to 1974-75.
• The Bears dominated the series for the first 20 years, with Cornell winning only three times prior to the 1994-95 season.
• Since then, the series has been neck-and-neck, with Cornell holding a slight 26-25 edge over Brown after beating the Bears, 74-63, earlier this season at Newman Arena on Jan. 31.
• Brown has historically been good at home against Cornell, however, holding a 26-11 advantage over the Big Red at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

A WIN OVER BROWN WOULD:

• Give Cornell the season sweep over the Bears.
• Give the Big Red the season sweep over Brown in back-to-back seasons.
• Be Cornell's fourth-straight victory over the Bears.

SCOUTING BROWN (7-14, 1-7 Ivy):

• Brown will be out to grab a win over the Big Red on its home court this weekend, having dropped seven of its first eight Ivy League contests.
• The Bears' lone conference win came on Feb. 7, an 83-71 victory over Dartmouth.
• Brown has been led this season by Justine Gaziano and McKenna Dale, who are averaging 16.4 and 11.9 points per game, respectively. Gaziano currently ranks fourth in the Ivy League in scoring.
• Gaziano also sits fifth in the conference in free throw percentage (.703), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.353), and ninth in field goal percentage (.432).
• Dale, along with Haley Green, rank seventh in the conference in blocked shots per game (0.9).
• As a team, Brown has found success from the free throw line this season, sitting second in the conference in free throw percentage (.707).

SEASON NOTES TO KNOW:

• The Big Red is 8-0 when it has scored at least 70 points.
• Seven of the Big Red's nine wins have come when Cornell has held its opponent to fewer than 60 points.
• The Big Red is 8-1 when it is leading with two minutes left in the game.
• Samantha Widmann has started 73 and played in 99 consecutive games.
• Laura Bagwell-Katalinich and Samantha Widmann have combined to lead the team in rebounding in 19 of Cornell's 20 contests during the 2019-20 campaign.
• Laura Bagwell-Katalinich and Samantha Widmann have scored in double-figures 15 and 14 times, respectively, this season. 

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS:

With its 7-5 record in non-conference play, the Big Red has secured a winning non-conference record in seven of the last eight seasons.

SWITCHING THINGS UP:

Senior point guard Danielle Jorgenson made her way into the starting line-up on Feb. 14 against Harvard for the first time this season, bringing a depth of starting experience to the floor after starting 53-straight games over her sophomore and junior seasons. With Jorgenson's two starts last weekend, the Big Red has used two different starting lineups this season.

ON THE BOARDS:

The Big Red has hit the boards hard this season, regularly outrebounding its opponents and holding them to an Ivy League-best 30.7 rebounds/game. The Big Red has mastered the art of creating second chances, leading the Ivy League in offensive rebounds at 14.6 per game. In addition, the Big Red currently ranks 29th in the nation in rebounding margin, out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 7.5 rebounds per game.

SHARING THE WEALTH:

Cornell has been selfless with the basketball this season, ranking second in the Ivy League as a team in assists/game (15.8) and having three student-athletes ranked in the top-15 of the conference in this statistical category: Kate Sramac (8^th – 2.9 apg), Shannon Mulroy (10th – 2.7 apg), and Samantha Widmann (13th – 2.6 apg). Thanks to this team effort, Cornell sits 37th in the nation in assists/game.

STEALING THE SHOW:

Kate Sramac (2.2 spg) and Samantha Widmann (1.8 spg) have put the pressure on the opposition, forcing turnovers and collecting steals, as the pair currently ranks second and sixth, respectively, in the Ivy League in steals per game.
 
Sramac grabbed a career-high seven steals in Cornell's contest against Dartmouth on Feb. 15, a mark which ranks fourth all-time in Big Red women's basketball history for a single game. Widmann has had a knack for stealing the basketball over the course of her career, as her 165 career steals ranks seventh all-time in Cornell women's basketball history.

DYNAMIC DUO:

Laura Bagwell-Katalinich (13.7 ppg) and Samantha Widmann (13.4 ppg) have been the core of the Big Red offense this season, scoring in double-figures 15 and 14 times, respectively. The pair has combined to lead the team in scoring in 17 of the Big Red's 20 contests in 2019-20. Both Bagwell-Katalinich and Widmann have scored 20+ points four times this year.

REBOUNDING MAGNETS:

Laura Bagwell-Katalinich (7.2 rpg) and Samantha Widmann (6.6 rpg) have been key contributors to Cornell's strong rebounding presence, as one of the two has led the team in rebounding in 19 of Cornell's 20 contests this season. The pair currently ranks fifth and seventh, respectively, in the Ivy League in rebounds per game.

WIDMANN SURPASSES 1,000:

With her second basket in Cornell's contest against Columbia on Jan. 25, 2020, Samantha Widmann became the 15th player in Big Red women's basketball history to score 1,000 career points. Widmann has now scored 1,088 points for her career, the 14th-most in program history.

MOVING ON UP:

Samantha Widmann has worked her way into the top-10 all-time in Cornell women's basketball history in career offensive rebounds (5th - 208) and career defensive rebounds (8th - 370), as well as career steals (7th - 165).

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS:

As a team, Cornell ranks within the top-100 of the NCAA in the following statistical categories:
• 29th in rebounding margin (+7.5)
• 37th in assists per game (15.8)
• 64th in forced turnovers per game (18.6)
• 78th in 3-pt field goal percentage (.336)
• 79th in field goal percentage (.423)
• 90th in steals per game (9.1)
• 91st in scoring defense (61.0 ppg)

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

• Samantha Widmann is making her presence known on the national stage, ranking in 44th in all of Division I in field goal percentage (.530).
• Kate Sramac has worked her way into the top-75 nationally in steals per game, sitting 75th at 2.2 steals per game.

IVY LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

The following Big Red student-athletes rank among the best in the Ivy League in the following statistical categories:
• Samantha Widmann – 2nd in field goal percentage (.530), 2nd in minutes played (34.3/game), 7th in rebounding (6.6 rpg), 6th in steals (1.8 spg), 10th in scoring (13.4 ppg), 13th in assists (2.6 apg)
• Laura Bagwell-Katalinich –4th in free throw percentage (.744), 5th in field goal percentage (.478), 5th in rebounding (7.2 rpg), 9th in scoring (13.7 ppg)
• Kate Sramac – 2nd in steals (2.2 spg), 8th in assists (2.9 apg), 13th in 3-PT field goals per game (1.4)
• Shannon Mulroy – 9th in 3-PT field goals per game (1.7), 10th in assists (2.7 apg)
• Theresa Grace Mbanefo –12th in blocks (0.7 bpg)

A CLASS OF HER OWN:

Laura Bagwell-Katalinich was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate women's basketball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
 
With this honor, Bagwell-Katalinich becomes only the second student-athlete in Cornell women's basketball history to be named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, joining Allyson DiMagno '14, who was in the running for the award for the 2013-14 season.

MULROY SWEEPS IVY LEAGUE PLAYER AND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AWARDS:

After a spectacular performance in the Cornell women's basketball team's thrilling 80-77 overtime win over Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 25, freshman point guard Shannon Mulroy swept the Ivy League's weekly awards, being named both the conference's Player and Rookie of the Week.
 
With this accomplishment, Mulroy not only received the first Player and Rookie of the Week honors of her career, but she is only the second Big Red women's basketball student-athlete ever to earn both awards in the same week (Nia Marshall). In addition to receiving recognition from the Ivy League, Mulroy was also named the conference's Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
 
The freshman made it rain, pouring in a game- and career-high 27 points and sinking seven 3-point baskets, just as many as the entire Columbia team. She shot an impressive 8-of-16 from the floor and 7-of-14 from long range, and her seven 3-pointers in a contest ranks third all-time in Cornell women's basketball history. She also went a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in some of the biggest moments of the contest.

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 and Delaware State, 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.

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 (38th 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 197 career victories, just three away from reaching 200 for her career.

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 women's basketball team will continue its string of four-straight road contests when it travels to Dartmouth on Friday, Feb. 28 for a 7 p.m. tip in Hanover, N.H. and Harvard on Saturday, Feb. 29 for a 5 p.m. start in Cambridge, Mass.