CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard (9-9, 3-3) came out of the gates hot and never cooled off, as the Cornell women's basketball team (6-10, 1-4) was tripped up by the Crimson, 89-47, on Saturday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass.
Senior forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo and junior guard Ania McNicholas did all they could to give Cornell a fighting chance in the contest, as the pair combined for 25 of Cornell's 47 points. Mbanefo scored seven of her team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, securing her fifth double-double of the season after pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Mbanefo has played well at Lavietes Pavilion over the course of her career, having notched her first-career double-double the last time Cornell squared off against the Crimson at Lavietes Pavilion during the 2019-20 season. Mbanefo also added a team-high four assists, pacing the Big Red in points, rebounds, and assists against Harvard.
Ania McNicholas helped Cornell gain its footing after a tough first quarter for the Big Red, scoring 11 of her 12 points for the contest in the second quarter and 11 of Cornell's 17 points in the frame. She found her rhythm from behind the arc in the quarter, shooting 3-of-5 from 3-point land. McNicholas added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Senior guard Samantha Will and junior guards Shannon Mulroy and KC Carter all chipped in five points apiece, while sophomore guard Kaya Ingram notched four. Carter, along with freshman forward Summer Parker-Hall, grabbed five rebounds, as the Big Red won the battle on the boards against the Crimson, 44-40.
It was all Harvard on Saturday afternoon, however, as the Crimson proved why they are the top 3-point-shooting team in the Ivy League. Harvard drained 14 shots from deep, nearly five above their average of 9.6 per game. The Crimson shot the lights out, finishing the contest having shot 45.7 percent (32-of-70) from the floor and 41.2 percent from long range (14-of-34) while limiting the Big Red to a 26.7 mark (16-of-60) from the floor.
The Crimson also capitalized on Cornell's miscues, as the Big Red had 27 turnovers in the contest as compared to Harvard's 11. The Crimson scored 35 points off of Cornell's giveaways, including 21 points off of 13 first quarter Big Red turnovers. The shaky start for Cornell opened the door for Harvard, and the Crimson took advantage of the opportunity. Harvard turned the ball over just one time in the first quarter and three times in the first half.
Harvard had all five starters score in double figures, led by Maggie McCarthy's 18 points.
The Cornell women's basketball team will return home next weekend to host Brown in an Ivy League matchup on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
