ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell women's basketball team will go head-to-head with in-state foe Niagara on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Gallagher Center in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Game Information:
Cornell at Niagara
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 at 1 p.m.
SITE: Gallagher Center – Niagara Falls, N.Y.
RECORDS: Cornell 4-4, 0-0 Ivy League / Niagara 2-4, 0-0 MAAC
BROADCAST: ESPN3 (es.pn/31rXaNx)
STATS: purpleeagles.com (bit.ly/3IaUMMl)
GAME NOTES
What's on Tap:
• The Cornell women's basketball team will be in search of its third-straight road win when it goes head-to-head with in-state foe Niagara on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Gallagher Center in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• The game against the Purple Eagles is the second-to-last contest for the Big Red prior to the break for finals, with Cornell's trip to nearby Syracuse on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. capping things off until the Big Red resumes play against Washington State at home on Dec. 19.
How to Watch:
• The game against Niagara will be broadcast on ESPN3, which can be accessed online at https://espn.com/watch/ by logging in with a valid cable subscription. ESPN3 comes with most cable or TV packages. You do not receive ESPN3 with an ESPN+ subscription.
Last Time Out:
• UMass Lowell's scrappy defense kept the Cornell offense off balance, as the Riverhawks defeated the Big Red, 53-44, on Wednesday night at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
• Despite getting a game-high 12 points from Shannon Mulroy and 10 points and a game-high eight boards from Theresa Grace Mbanefo, the Big Red shot only .254 from the floor on the contest as compared to UMass Lowell's .348.
• With Mbanefo's 10 points, the senior forward scored in double figures for the sixth time in Cornell's eight games so far this season.
• Olivia Snyder added eight points and seven rebounds for the Big Red.
• The Big Red gave itself the opportunity to claw back into the contest with its ability to turn the Riverhawks over, forcing 22 UMass Lowell turnovers and scoring 18 of its 44 points off of the Riverhawks' miscues.
• Ania McNicholas paced Cornell in steals for the sixth time this season, notching three in addition to four points, three rebounds, and a block. This marked the fourth time in eight games that McNicholas has recorded at least three steals in a game.
• The Riverhawks had five players score at least nine points, with three of those players coming off the bench. This allowed UMass Lowell to outscore Cornell in bench points, 28-6.
The Series vs. Niagara:
• Saturday's matchup between the Big Red and Purple Eagles will be the 18th meeting between the two schools, but just the third time that Cornell has played Niagara in the Dayna Smith era.
• Niagara holds a 10-7 advantage over Cornell in the all-time series dating back to 1973-74.
• The Big Red has won three of the last four meetings, including the last two matchups in 2005-06 and 2019-20, the latter of which resulted in a convincing 82-59 victory for Cornell on Nov. 21, 2019 in Ithaca, N.Y.
• Cornell had five players score in double figures in the contest, including Shannon Mulroy (14) and Theresa Grace Mbanefo (10).
• Mulroy knocked down 4-of-5 3-pointers that she attempted in the contest, while Mbanefo added seven rebounds and four blocks.
Cornell vs. the MAAC:
• Cornell is 20-32 all-time vs. current members of the MAAC.
• The Big Red has played every team in the MAAC at least once except for Quinnipiac, Rider, and St. Peter's.
• Cornell has faced Niagara more times than any other MAAC opponent.
Scouting Niagara:
• Niagara is off to a 2-4 start this season, securing a season-opening victory over Loyola (Md.), 81-71, on Nov. 9 and defeating Colgate, 74-65, on Nov. 17.
• The Purple Eagles have fallen to Oakland on Nov. 12, 77-64, Michigan State on Nov. 14 (89-65), La Salle on Nov. 20, 83-71, and most recently, Buffalo on Dec. 1, 95-55.
• Led by Angel Parker's 3.83 steals per game, a mark which ranks ninth in all of Division I, Niagara leads the MAAC and sits 11th nationally as a team in steals per game (13.33).
• In addition to Angel Parker, Aaliyah Parker (2.5 spg) and Maddy Yelle (2.3 spg) rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the MAAC in steals per game.
• Hand-in-hand, Niagara ranks 20th nationally in turnovers forced as a team.
• Angel Parker also leads Niagara in scoring and assists, averaging 14.3 points per game and 5.7 assists per game. Her 5.7 assists per game ranks second in the MAAC, while her 14.3 points per game sits fourth.
• Aaliyah Parker is pacing the Purple Eagles in rebounding, averaging 7.3 boards per game.
A Win Over Niagara Would:
• Give Cornell its third-straight road win.
• Be the Big Red's third-straight victory over the Purple Eagles, and its fourth win over Niagara in the teams' last five meetings.
• Make Coach Smith 3-0 all-time against Niagara.
• Improve Cornell to 5-4 on the season.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner:
• Led by Theresa Grace Mbanefo's 1.9 blocks per game, a mark which ranks third in the Ivy League, the Big Red is serving up blocks for every meal of the day, ranking 33rd in all of Division I as a team in blocked shots (35).
• Cornell's 4.38 blocks per game also ranks second in the Ivy League.
• In addition to Mbanefo, Olivia Snyder (0.8 bpg) and Summer Parker-Hall (0.6 bpg) sit among the top-15 of the conference in blocks per game, ranking eighth and 11th, 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 54.8 points per game, a mark which ranks second in the Ivy League and 50th 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 (13.4).
• Theresa Grace Mbanefo (32) and Olivia Snyder (23) have combined for over half of the team's offensive boards (55-of-107), which is a key reason why the pair ranks among the top-five of the conference in rebounds per game.
• Mbanefo sits third in the Ivy League at 8.5 per game, while Snyder follows just behind in fifth at 8.1 per game.
• Cornell's 291 rebounds on the season ranks 62nd in all of Division I.
Sharing the Spotlight:
• The Big Red's offensive production this season has been balanced, as Cornell has had at least three players score in double-figures in four of its eight games so far this year.
• In addition, five different Cornell players have notched the team-high for Cornell in scoring this season, led by Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Shannon Mulroy each pacing the team in scoring on three occasions. KC Carter and Olivia Snyder have 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 (2.9).
• She's notched at least three steals in four of Cornell's eight games this season.
• McNicholas ranks among the top-40 nationally in both steals (24th – 20) and steals per game (38th – 2.9).
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 22nd in offensive rebounds per game (4.0), 26th in blocked shots (15), 28th in double doubles (3), and 38th in rebounds (68).
• Ania McNicholas ranks 24th in steals (20) and 38th in steals per game (2.9).
• Samantha Will ranks 24th in minutes played (270:03).
• Shannon Mulroy ranks 34th in minutes played (262:36).
• Olivia Snyder ranks 41st in minutes played (259:35) and 51st in rebounds (65).
Ivy League Individual Rankings:
• Theresa Grace Mbanefo ranks second in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.500), third in blocks per game (1.9), third in rebounds per game (8.5), and 10th in points per game (12.6).
• Ania McNicholas ranks second in the conference in steals per game (2.9).
• Shannon Mulroy ranks fourth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (1.3), fourth in assists per game (3.1), fifth in free throw percentage (.667), and seventh in minutes played per game (32.9).
• Olivia Snyder ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (8.1), eighth in blocked shots per game (0.8), eighth in minutes played per game (32.5), and ninth in assists per game (2.3).
• Samantha Will ranks fifth in the conference in minutes played per game (33.6).
Team Leaders:
• Points – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 12.5 points per game
• Field Goals Made – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 5.4 per game
• Field Goal Percentage – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, .500
• 3-point Field Goals Made – KC Carter, 1.3 per game
• 3-point Field Goal Percentage – KC Carter, .417
• Free Throw Percentage – Shannon Mulroy, .667 (24-of-36)
• Rebounding – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 8.5 rebounds per game
• Assists – Shannon Mulroy, 3.1 assists per game
• Assist-To-Turnover Ratio – Shannon Mulroy, 1.3
• Blocks – Theresa Grace Mbanefo, 1.9 blocks per game
• Steals – Ania McNicholas, 2.9 steals per game
• Minutes – Samantha Will, 33.6 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 travel to nearby Syracuse on Wednesday, Dec. 8 for a 7 p.m. tip at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
