ITHACA, N.Y. – After a dramatic victory at the buzzer against UAlbany, the Cornell women's basketball team will look to start stacking wins when it squares off against Lafayette on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa.

Game Information:

Cornell at Lafayette
DATE/TIME: Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 at 1 p.m.
SITE: Kirby Sports Center – Easton, Pa.
RECORDS: Cornell 3-3, 0-0 Ivy League / Lafayette 1-4, 0-0 Patriot League
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/30ZbxcC)
STATS: goleopards.com (bit.ly/3cY1I0B)
GAME NOTES

What's on Tap:

•   Fresh-off Shannon Mulroy's buzzer beater to down UAlbany, 47-46, on Wednesday, the Cornell women's basketball team will look to start stacking wins when it travels to Easton, Pa. on Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest against Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center.

How to Watch:

•   The game against Lafayette will be broadcast on ESPN+, along with all of Cornell's home contests and its entire slate of Ivy League games over the course of the season. ESPN+ is available to fans in the U.S. for $4.99/event, $6.99/month, or $69.99/year (http://plus.espn.com/). A similar international platform at the same price point is available for fans outside of the U.S., featuring both live and archived games.

Last Time Out:

•   With 5.6 seconds remaining and the ball in Cornell's hands, junior guard Shannon Mulroy tracked down a deflected inbounds pass in the backcourt, used a few power-dribbles to get past her defender, and sunk the game-winning 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to lift the Big Red to a 47-46 victory over UAlbany on Wednesday.
•   Olivia Snyder and Theresa Grace Mbanefo put in work in the paint, helping Cornell outscore the Great Danes, 28-16, in the paint for the contest.
•   Snyder notched her second double-double of the season, recording the team-high in points (14) and rebounds (10) and adding four assists.
•   Mbanefo netted 12 points, nine rebounds, and a game- and career-high five blocks. Her five blocks rank third all-time in Cornell women's basketball history for a single game. It's also the most blocks that a Big Red player has notched in a single game since Nia Marshall stuffed five shots against Colgate on Nov. 8, 2013.
•    Ania McNicholas notched a game- and career-high six steals to go along with six points and four rebounds. McNicholas alone accounted for half of Cornell's 12 steals and posted more in the contest than UAlbany did as an entire team with four.
•   Cornell made the Great Danes pay for their turnovers, as Cornell scored 21 of its 47 points in the contest off of UAlbany's miscues.

The Series vs. Lafayette:

•   Sunday's matchup between the Big Red and Leopards will be the 18th meeting for the two schools dating back to the 1982-83 season.
•   The series has been a competitive one since its inception, with Cornell holding a slim 9-8 advantage.
•   The Big Red took the series lead the last time the two teams met during the 2018-19 season after defeating Lafayette, 62-59, on Dec. 20, 2018 in Easton, Pa.
•   The two teams were scheduled to meet during the 2019-20 campaign on Dec. 1, 2019 in Ithaca, N.Y., but the game was canceled due to inclement weather.
•   Coach Smith owns a 4-2 record against the Leopards.

Cornell vs. the Patriot League:

•   Cornell is 48-63 all-time vs. the current members of the Patriot League.
•   Lafayette is the second Patriot League opponent that the Big Red will take on this season, as Cornell opened the 2021-22 campaign with a 53-34 victory over Colgate on Nov. 10.
•   The Big Red owns the advantage in the series with Colgate (23-17).
•   Cornell holds a slim advantage over Lafayette (9-8) and is tied with Loyola (Md.) (3-3).
•   The Big Red has a losing mark vs. American (1-2), Army (5-6), Bucknell (5-19), Lehigh (2-6), and Navy (0-2).
•   Cornell has never faced Boston University or Holy Cross in women's basketball.
•   Coach Smith's record vs. the conference stands at 23-22.

Scouting Lafayette:

•   Lafayette is off to a 1-4 start this season, having fallen to Pittsburgh (72-63), Duquesne (60-47), Columbia (72-59), and La Salle (73-52) in the team's most recent outing on Nov. 23.
•   The Leopards picked up their first win of the season on Nov. 20 with a 49-44 victory over Siena.
•   Lafayette was led in the win by junior Jessica Booth, who notched a career-high 19 points. Makaila Wilson (13) and Makayla Andrews (10) also scored in double-figures. Wilson, along with senior Naomi Ganpo, each notched nine rebounds.
•   Makayla Andrews is pacing the team in points through the first five contests, averaging 12.0 per game. Jessica Booth is also averaging double figures at 11.2 per game.
•   Andrews has had great success from the free throw line, leading the Patriot League and ranking 17th in all of Division I in free throw percentage at .941 (16-of-17).
•   Naomi Ganpo (8.6 rpg) and Makaila Wilson (8.4 rpg) rank third and fourth, respectively, in the Patriot League in rebounds per game.
•   Jessica Booth leads the team in assists at 3.6 per game, a mark which ranks fifth in the Patriot League.

A Win Over Lafayette Would:

•   Improve Cornell to 10-8 in the all-time series.
•   Improve Coach Smith to 5-2 against Lafayette.
•   Make Coach Smith 24-22 against the Patriot League.
•   Make Cornell 2-0 against Patriot League opponents this season.

The Big 2-0-0:

•   Dayna Smith, The Rebecca Quinn Morgan '60 Head Coach of Women's Basketball, who is in her 20th year at the helm of the program, notched her 200th career victory on Nov. 17 with the Big Red's 67-57 victory over Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y.
•   With her 200th victory, Smith became only the sixth coach in Ivy League women's basketball history to amass 200 career victories at an Ivy school.
•   The winningest coach in Cornell women's basketball history and the sixth-winningest in Ivy League history, she is the second-longest tenured active women's basketball coach in the conference (Harvard's Kathy Delaney-Smith, 40 seasons).
•   She is also fourth all-time in years served as a head coach in the Ivy League.

Winner Winner, Turkey Dinner:

•   Junior Shannon Mulroy's buzzer-beating 3-pointer against UAlbany gave the Big Red a 47-46 victory over UAlbany in the team's game on Thanksgiving Eve on Nov. 24.
•   This wasn't the first big moment of Mulroy's collegiate career, however, as she sunk two free throws with five seconds left on the clock against Columbia on January 25, 2020, in her rookie season to send the game into overtime in a contest that ended in a 80-77 Cornell victory. This was the same game that Mulroy hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored a career-best 27 points.

A Night to Remember:

•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo's 27-point, 13-rebound outing against Binghamton on Nov. 17 was one for the senior to remember, as it wasn't only her first-career 20-point outing, but her 27 points ranks second in the Ivy League for a single game so far this season.
•   In addition, her 13 made field goals that night is a league-best for a single contest this year, while her 13 rebounds sits fifth.

Block Party:

•   Cornell has made its opponents think twice about driving the lane, as the Big Red is averaging 4.83 blocks per game this season, a mark which ranks second in the Ivy League and 55th in all of Division I.
•   Even more impressive, the Big Red's 29 blocked shots on the season ranks 22nd nationally.
•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo has led the blocking brigade this season, as her 13 blocked shots through six games ranks third in the Ivy League and 15th in all of Division I. Five of these 13 blocks came against UAlbany on Nov. 24 and is the third-most in Big Red women's basketball history for a single game.
•   Thanks in part to Cornell's ability to stuff shots, combined with tough defense, the Big Red is limiting its opponents to just 55.0 points per game, a mark which ranks third in the conference.

Stealing the Show:

•   Ania McNicholas has had a knack for getting her hands on the basketball so far this season, and with her game- and career-high six steals on Wednesday, the junior ranks second in the Ivy League and 14th in all of Division I in steals (17).
•   Her 2.8 steals per game ranks second in the Ivy League and 55th nationally.
•   As a team, Cornell ranks 74th in Division I in steals (48) through six games.

Cleaning the Glass:

•   Thanks in part to a monster night on the glass against Binghamton on Nov. 17 that saw the Big Red out-rebound the Bearcats, 49-21, Cornell ranks 52nd in all of Division I in rebounds, pulling down 216 as a team in its first six contests.
•   Cornell's 49 rebounds against the Bearcats is the most by a team in the Ivy League for a single game so far this season.
•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo (8.3 rpg) and Olivia Snyder (7.7 rpg) are leading Cornell in rebounding, sitting third and fourth, respectively, in the conference in rebounds per game.
•   At the same time, Cornell is holding its opponents to an Ivy League-best 34.3 rebounds per game.

NCAA Individual Rankings:

•   Ania McNicholas ranks 14th in steals (17), 47th in minutes played (186:10), and 55th in steals per game (2.83).
•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo ranks 15th in blocked shots (13), 30th in field goals made (36), 31st in double doubles (2), 34th in rebounds (50), and 47th in blocked shots per game (2.17).
•   Samantha Will ranks 22nd in minutes played (200:08).
•   Olivia Snyder ranks 31st in double doubles (2), 38th in minutes played (191:11) and 58th in rebounds (46).
•   Shannon Mulroy ranks 44th in minutes played (187:08).

Ivy League Individual Rankings:

•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo ranks first in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.529), third in rebounds per game (8.3), third in blocks per game (2.2), and seventh in points per game (13.3).
•   Ania McNicholas ranks second in the conference in steals per game (2.8).
•   Shannon Mulroy ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.3) and fifth in assist to turnover ratio (1.2).
•   Olivia Snyder ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.7), sixth in assists per game (2.5), and seventh in blocked shots per game (0.8).
•   Samantha Will ranks seventh in the conference in minutes played per game (33.2).

Team Leaders:

•   Points – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 13.3 points per game
•   Field Goals Made – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 6.0 per game
•   Field Goal Percentage – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, .529
•   3-point Field Goals Made – KC Carter, 1.2 per game
•   3-point Field Goal Percentage – KC Carter, .412
•   Free Throw Percentage – Shannon Mulroy, .650 (13-of-20)
•   Rebounding – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 8.3 rebounds per game
•   Assists – Shannon Mulroy, 3.3 assists per game
•   Assist-To-Turnover Ratio – Shannon Mulroy, 1.2
•   Blocks – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 2.2 blocks per game
•   Steals – Ania McNicholas, 2.8 steals per game
•   Minutes – Samantha Will, 33.2 minutes per game

A Look Back in Time:

•   The last time the Big Red was in action in 2019-20, Cornell finished the season with a 10-16 overall record and a 3-11 mark in conference play, finishing seventh in the Ivy League.
•   The Big Red will look to get back to the Ivy League Tournament this year for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when the team qualified for its first conference tournament after its creation in 2016-17.

Starting from (Almost) Scratch:

•   The Cornell women's basketball team will have a new look this season, returning only 27 percent of its minutes, 27 percent of its scoring, and 22 percent of its rebounding from the 2019-20 season.
•   Of the 14-player roster, eight suit up for the Big Red for the first time in the 2021-22 campaign.

Oh Captain, My Captain (s):

•   Senior forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo, senior guard Samantha Will, and junior guard Shannon Mulroy will serve as tri-captains of the team for the 2021-22 season.
•   Mulroy returns as the team's top scorer from 2019-20 when she averaged 8.3 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. She appeared in all 26 games and made 23 starts while averaging 25.2 minutes of playing time per game, the most among all returners. She led the Big Red in 3-point makes (35) and shooting percentage from behind the arc (33.0) in her rookie season. She also ranked second on the team in assists and free throw percentage (.750) in 2019-20.
•   A guard with a calming presence on the floor, Will came into her own at the end of the 2019-20 season when she scored double-digits in back-to-back games for the first time of her career against Yale on Feb. 21, 2020 and Brown on Feb. 22, 2020.
•   Mbanefo is one of two forwards that returns from the 2019-20 roster. She played in all 26 games as a sophomore, making four starts and averaging 18.2 minutes per contest. She led Cornell in blocks (18) and ranked third on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest.

The Lay of the Land:

•   In addition to Mbanefo, Mulroy, and Will, junior guard Ania McNicholas, junior guard KC Carter, and junior forward Anna Hovis return invaluable collegiate experience to a roster that is laden with newcomers.
•   Junior transfer Olivia Snyder adds an offensive mentality and knack for scoring the basketball to the Big Red roster.
•   Sophomore guards Mia Beam, Val Garcia-Martinez, and Kaya Ingram, as well as freshmen Jada Davis, Lexi Green, Arianna Linoxilakis, and Summer Parker-Hall all take the floor for Cornell for the first time this season.

Ivy Preseason Rankings:

•   The Big Red was picked sixth overall in the 2021-22 Ivy League Preseason Media Poll with 41 voter points.
•   The 2019-20 Ivy League Regular Season Champion Princeton was once again picked as the favorite to win the league this year, collecting 12 of a possible 16 first place votes and 122 points.
•   Penn, who returns the 2019-20 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and first team All-Ivy selection Kayla Padilla, was chosen second with three first place votes and 108 points.
•   The race for third, fourth, and fifth was close from there, with Columbia being picked third (87 points), Yale being chosen fourth (82 points), and Harvard's single first place vote helping the Crimson come in fifth (81 points).
•   Dartmouth (29 points) and Brown (27 points) rounded out the poll in seventh and eighth, respectively.

Up Next:

•   The Cornell women's basketball team returns to Newman Arena for the third time in four games for a mid-week battle with UMass-Lowell on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. in Ithaca, N.Y.