ITHACA, N.Y. – Winners of three of its last four contests after defeating Lafayette in its most recent outing on Sunday, the Cornell women's basketball team will look to keep rolling when it hosts UMass Lowell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

As Cornell turns its focus to the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell, it's impossible to overlook the impact that junior guard Shannon Mulroy has had in each of the Big Red's last two contests, and the impact that she will continue to have as the season progresses. One of the team's tri-captains, and the epitome of hard work and a relentless desire to perfect one's craft, it hasn't been lost on Mulroy just how much she means to the young Cornell team, having returned this year as the team's top returning scorer from 2019-20 when she averaged 8.3 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game.

As Mulroy has stepped into a leadership role this season, she's had to learn how to balance steering the ship with translating her own game into the Big Red's contests. On Wednesday against UAlbany, everything clicked.

"In the Albany game, Shannon played a really good 40 minutes of point guard basketball," said Dayna Smith, the Rebecca Quinn Morgan '60 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "She led us on offense, she was phenomenal on defense, and she was a leader. She got back into being an all-around player for us and distributing the ball."

That excellent 40 minutes of basketball for Mulroy culminated with her being in the spotlight for the biggest moment of the game, as she drained the game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-point basket to lift the Big Red to a 47-46 victory over the Great Danes in a moment that landed her on ESPN's Sports Center.

While a shot of that caliber might be seen as a peak for some, it was just the tipping point for Mulroy, who turned around against Lafayette on Sunday and dropped a game- and season-high 23 points in a full 40 minutes of play. Beyond the game-winning basket and big game on Sunday, the message behind it all might just be the most valuable.

"Shannon didn't have a stellar shooting performance against Albany, but she was ready to hit the big shot," Smith said. "It just shows that you have more opportunities to do more things as the game progresses. If these two games taught her anything, it's that you can always do something moving forward instead of dwelling on the past."

As the Big Red prepares for its next game on Wednesday, and the rest of the season to come, the last week will be one to remember for Mulroy, but she and the rest of the Cornell women's basketball team is just getting started.

Game Information:

Cornell vs. UMass Lowell
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 at 7 p.m.
SITE: Newman Arena – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Cornell 4-3, 0-0 Ivy League / UMass Lowell 2-3, 0-0 America East
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/3lfVGgw)
STATS: cornellbigred.com (bit.ly/3bTZ3oo)
GAME NOTES

What's on Tap:

•   After defeating Lafayette in its most recent outing on Sunday, the Cornell women's basketball team will look to make it three-straight wins when it hosts UMass Lowell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
•   The contest marks the last home game for the Big Red for roughly two and a half weeks, as Cornell will play its next two contests on the road at Niagara on Dec. 4 and Syracuse on Dec. 8 before having a brief pause in the action and returning to Newman Arena to host Washington State on Dec. 19.

How to Watch:

•   The game against UMass Lowell 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:

•   The Cornell women's basketball team used a big fourth quarter and a 23-point performance from Shannon Mulroy to pull away from Lafayette and defeat the Leopards, 66-55, on Sunday at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa.
•   After knocking down the buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer against UAlbany on Wednesday, Nov. 24, Mulroy picked up right where she left off against Lafayette, scoring a game- and season-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep, and going 6-of-8 from the free throw line in a full 40-minutes of play.
•   Mulroy led three Cornell scorers in double figures in the contest, as KC Carter (14) and Theresa Grace Mbanefo (10) also amassed double-digit points. Carter's 14 points marked a career-high in what was her first collegiate start, while Mbanefo added 10 rebounds, seven of which were offensive, for her third double-double of the season.
•   Samantha Will and Olivia Snyder both chipped in eight points against the Leopards, with Snyder notching a game-high 12 boards and Will dishing out a team- and career-high six assists.
•    The Big Red outscored Lafayette 24-11 in the fourth quarter to secure the 66-55 victory, as Cornell trailed by two, 44-42, heading into the final period of play.
•   Cornell shot a season-best .571 from behind the arc (8-of-14) against Lafayette, as Mulroy (3), Carter (3), and Will (2) all knocked down multiple shots from long range. The Leopards shot just .313 from deep.
•   The Big Red also excelled from inside, outrebounding the Leopards, 35-21, on the contest, including 17-10 on the offensive glass. This allowed Cornell to score 17 second-chance points in the game, while holding Lafayette to just nine.

The Series vs. UMass Lowell:

•   Wednesday's matchup between the Big Red and Riverhawks will be just the fourth meeting between the two schools.
•   The previous three matchups have occurred in each of the past three seasons that Cornell has played (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20) and the Big Red has emerged victorious all three times.
•   Most recently, the Big Red defeated UMass-Lowell, 70-56, in Lowell, Mass. on Nov. 27, 2019.
•   Head coach Dayna Smith owns a 3-0 record against the Riverhawks.

Cornell vs. the America East:

•   Cornell will look to go three-for-three against America East opponents this season when it faces UMass Lowell, as the Big Red has already crossed Binghamton (W, 67-57, Nov. 17 in Vestal, N.Y.) and UAlbany (W, 47-46, Nov. 24 in Ithaca, N.Y.) off its list this season.
•   The Big Red has won four of its last five contests against America East teams dating back to the 2019-20 season.
•   Cornell holds a 29-30 all-time record against members of the America East.
•   Overall, the Big Red has a winning record vs. UAlbany (8-1), UMass Lowell (3-0), and UMBC (2-0).
•   Cornell has a losing record vs. Binghamton (9-11), Hartford (0-2), Maine (0-1), New
Hampshire (1-5), Stony Brook (2-4) and Vermont (4-6).
•   Coach Smith is 19-20 all-time vs. the America East.

Scouting UMass Lowell:

•   UMass Lowell is off to a 2-3 start this season, having beaten Central Connecticut State, 70-63, in its last outing on Wednesday, Nov. 24.
•   The Riverhawks have yet to win a game on the road this season, as the team's two wins have both come at their home Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass.
•   UMass Lowell is led in scoring by junior Jaliena Sanchez, who is averaging 14.0 points per game in three contests, but she has not played in each of the Riverhawks last two games.
•   Denise Solis (8.6 ppg) and Shamyjha Price (8.4 ppg) are each averaging over eight points per game.
•   Solis is shooting .500 from the field through five games, a mark which ranks seventh in the America East. She also leads the Riverhawks in rebounding at 5.2 per game.
•   The Big Red won the game against UMass Lowell on the boards during the 2019-20 season, outrebounding the Riverhawks, 42-20, including 19-3 on the offensive glass. This could very well be Cornell's key to the game again on Wednesday, as the Riverhawks are ranked 307 out of 348 Division I teams in rebounding at just 32.80 per game.

A Win Over UMass Lowell Would:

•   Give Cornell its third-straight win, improving the Big Red to 5-3 on the season.
•   Make Cornell and head coach Dayna Smith 4-0 all-time against UMass Lowell.
•   Be the fourth-straight season the Cornell has downed UMass Lowell.
•   Make Cornell 3-0 this season against America East opponents.
•   Make Cornell 4-0 in games that fall on Wednesday this season.

Coaching Connections:

•   Cornell head coach Dayna Smith and UMass Lowell head coach Denise King both played their collegiate basketball careers at the University of Rhode Island, with Smith graduating in 1996 and King graduating in 2004.
•   They both also got their coaching careers started at their alma mater, as Smith served as an assistant coach at Rhode Island from 1996-99 and King was an assistant coach at Rhode Island from 2005-09.
•   Both Smith and King were standouts at Rhode Island, as each were 1,000-point scorers. They both still rank among the top 3-point shooters in Rhode Island history, as Smith ranks third in career 3-point field goals made (184) and King ranks seventh (118).
•   Smith holds the Rhode Island record for assists in a season with 239 in 1994-95, and her 233 assists in 1995-96 and 208 assists in 1993-94 sits second and third, respectively, in Rhode Island history. King also appears on that list multiple times, as her 124 assists in 2002-03 ranks seventh for a single season and her 119 assists in 2003-04 sits 10th.
•   Smith also holds the Rhode Island record for career assists (793), while King ranks among the top-five all-time in fourth with 339 career assists.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner:

•   Led by Theresa Grace Mbanefo's Ivy League-best, 2.1 blocks per game, the Big Red is serving up blocks for every meal of the day, ranking 31st in all of Division I as a team in blocked shots (33) and 48th in blocked shots per game (4.7).
•   Cornell's 4.7 blocks per game also ranks second in the Ivy League.
•   In addition to Mbanefo, Olivia Snyder (0.9 bpg) and Jada Davis (0.5 bpg) sit among the top-15 of the conference in blocks per game, ranking eighth and 14th, respectively.
•   Mbanefo's five blocks against UAlbany on Nov. 24 ranks third all-time in in Cornell women's basketball history for a single game.

Tough D:

•   Cornell is limiting its opponents to an average of just 55.0 points per game, a mark which ranks second in the Ivy League and 46th in all of Division I.

Second Chances:

•   The Big Red has been relentless on the offensive glass so far this season, ranking second in the conference as a team in offensive rebounds per game (13.1).
•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo (27), Olivia Snyder (20), and Ania McNicholas (11) have combined for over half of the team's offensive boards (58-of-92), which is a key reason why all three rank among the top-12 of the conference in rebounds per game.
•   Mbanefo sits third in the Ivy League at 8.6 per game, Snyder sits fourth at 8.3 per game, and McNicholas ranks 11th at 5.7 per game.
•   At the same time, Cornell is holding its opponents to an Ivy League-best 32.4 rebounds per game.

Sharing the Spotlight:

•   The Big Red's offensive production this season has been balanced, as Sunday's contest against Lafayette marked the fourth time in Cornell's seven games that at least three Big Red players scored in double-figures.
•   In addition, five different Cornell players have notched the team-high for Cornell in scoring this season, led by Theresa Grace Mbanefo pacing the team in scoring on three occasions. KC Carter, Shannon Mulroy, and Olivia Snyder have all recorded the team-high twice, with Ania McNicholas notching the team-high once.

Winner Winner, Turkey Dinner:

•   Junior Shannon Mulroy's buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer against UAlbany on Nov. 24 gave the Big Red a 47-46 victory over UAlbany in the team's game on Thanksgiving Eve.
•   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.

Stealing the Show:

•   Ania McNicholas has had a knack for getting her hands on the basketball so far this season, and thanks in part to her game- and career-high six steals against UAlbany on Nov. 24, the junior ranks second in the Ivy League in steals per game (2.8).
•   She ranks among the top-50 nationally in both steals (46th – 17) and steals per game (47th – 2.8).

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.

NCAA Individual Rankings:

•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo ranks 18th in blocked shots (15), 22nd in double doubles (3), 38th in blocked shots per game (2.14), and 44th in rebounds (60).
•   Ania McNicholas ranks 46th in steals (17) and 47th in steals per game (2.83).

Ivy League Individual Rankings:

•   Theresa Grace Mbanefo ranks first in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.541), first in blocks per game (2.1), third in rebounds per game (8.6), and ninth in points per game (12.9).
•   Ania McNicholas ranks second in the conference in steals per game (2.8).
•   Shannon Mulroy ranks third in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (1.4), fourth in free throw percentage (.679), fourth in assists per game (3.3), and 10th in minutes played per game (32.4).
•   Olivia Snyder ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (8.3), sixth in assists per game (2.4), eighth in blocked shots per game (0.9), and eighth in minutes played per game (32.9).
•   Samantha Will ranks fourth in the conference in minutes played per game (33.7).

Team Leaders:

•   Points – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 12.9 points per game
•   Field Goals Made – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 5.7 per game
•   Field Goal Percentage – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, .541
•   3-point Field Goals Made – KC Carter, 3.1 per game
•   3-point Field Goal Percentage – KC Carter, .455
•   Free Throw Percentage – Shannon Mulroy, .679 (19-of-28)
•   Rebounding – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 8.6 rebounds per game
•   Assists – Shannon Mulroy, 3.3 assists per game
•   Assist-To-Turnover Ratio – Shannon Mulroy, 1.4
•   Blocks – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 2.1 blocks per game
•   Steals – Ania McNicholas, 2.8 steals per game
•   Minutes – Samantha Will, 33.7 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 will play the first of two consecutive road games at Niagara on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. in Niagara Falls, N.Y.