VESTAL, N.Y. – There was a lot to celebrate for the Cornell women's basketball team (2-2) in its 67-57 victory over Binghamton (2-1) on Wednesday night at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y., as Dayna Smith, The Rebecca Quinn Morgan '60 Head Coach of Women's Basketball, notched her 200th career victory.
With the win, Smith becomes just the sixth head coach in Ivy League women's basketball history to amass 200 career victories at an Ivy school. Cornell's all-time winningest coach, Smith has helped develop Ivy League women's basketball into what it is today, sitting as the second-longest tenured active women's basketball head coach in the conference and fourth all-time in years served as a women's head coach in the Ivy League.
While Smith achieved a milestone in her team's victory, senior forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo had a night to remember of her own. Mbanefo was a machine in Cornell's win, pouring in a game- and career-high 27 points on 13-of-19 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds, including eight offensive. Mbanefo went off, crushing her previous career-high of 15 points that she notched on Nov. 10 against Colgate and securing her second double-double of the season.
Junior Olivia Snyder's performance couldn't be overlooked, as she posted her first-career double-double with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, both of which were career-bests. As if that wasn't enough, Snyder dished out a game- and career-high six assists.
Ania McNicholas joined Mbanefo and Snyder in double figures, scoring 10 points. Her scrappy play continues to create opportunities for Cornell, as the junior guard added five rebounds a pair of steals, a block, and an assist.
As a team, Cornell demolished Binghamton inside, out-rebounding the Bearcats, 49-21, including 18-7 on the offensive glass. The Big Red made Binghamton pay for those 18 offensive boards, scoring a whopping 50 points in the paint as compared to Binghamton's 18. What wasn't scored in the paint off of an offensive rebound most likely came in transition, as the Big Red ran the floor well, netting 12 transition points and holding the Bearcats scoreless in transition for the contest.
With Cornell capitalizing so consistently around the rim, it comes as no surprise that the Big Red shot 50.0 percent from the floor, as compared to Binghamton's 36.2 percent.
Binghamton established a 7-4 lead with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter, and that would be the last time the Bearcats would lead for the entirety of the contest. Over the next three minutes, Cornell would put together a 9-0 run to take a 13-7 lead with 2:06 left in the opening period of play. KC Carter and Mbanefo combined for all nine points in the run, with Carter scoring five and Mbanefo netting four. A deep two for Carter in transition after a McNicholas steal capped the run for the Big Red.
The Big Red scored the first points of the second quarter on a Shannon Mulroy lay-up to claim a 17-10 lead, but Binghamton brought it back to within two, 19-17, after a 7-2 run from the 7:41 mark in the second to the 5:33 mark. Cornell was unphased, however, outscoring Binghamton, 13-5 over the remainder of the quarter to take a 10-point lead into the locker room, 32-22. Summer Parker-Hall gave the Big Red the double-digit lead heading into the half, craftily driving the lane, drawing the foul, and sinking both free throws with just seconds remaining in the half.
Cornell's run continued into the second half, being extended to 18-5 after the Big Red scored the first six points of the third quarter to extend its lead to 16, 38-22. A Samantha Will lay-up on a beautiful transition break following an Mbanefo steal and Snyder assist finished off the run.
Binghamton hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Cornell's lead to 10, 38-28, with 7:33 remaining in the third, but two-consecutive Mbanefo buckets re-extended the Big Red's advantage to 14, 42-28. Cornell once again led by 16, 53-38, at the conclusion of the third quarter.
The Big Red notched its biggest lead of the contest in the fourth quarter, leading by 17 after a McNicholas lay-up made the score 61-44 with 6:48 left in the game. Binghamton tried to get its foot back in the door, going on a 10-2 run to cut the Big Red's advantage to single digits, 63-54, with 4:18 on the clock. Back-to-back Cornell buckets by Mulroy and Snyder pushed the Big Red lead back to 13, 67-54, allowing Cornell to cruise to the 67-57 victory.
The Cornell women's basketball team will be back in action when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
