Women's Hoops Host Dartmouth in Conference Opener

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 

• The Cornell women’s basketball team opened the 2022-23 season against its longest non-Ivy rival at Colgate on Monday, Nov. 7 where it fell 62-48 to the Raiders at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y.
• The Big Red have a four-game home win streak following a 93-49 win over Clarion.
• Picked sixth in the Ivy League Preseason media poll, the Big Red is coming off a 9-16 season and a sixth-place finish among the Ancient Eight.
• Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Samantha Will were the lone 2022 grads for the Red, opening up new court opportunities for the returners.
• Freshman Emily Pape neared double-double territory in both of her first two collegiate outings (13 pts, 7 rebounds at Colgate; 7 pts, 10 rebounds at FDU). She tallied a remarkable 24-points in the 66-61 win over Mount St. Mary's, the most by an active Cornellian since Shannon Mulroy tallied 27 in her freshman year.
• Cornell returns 11 athletes from last year, while adding four new faces.
• Ania McNicholas is demonstrating true defensive prowess this season currently ranking number one in the nation in steals (52), and second nationally in steals per game at 4.00. She earned the first triple-double for the Big Red since 1988 in the outing against Clarion (13 pts, 13 rbs, 10 stls)

THE SERIES 
Overall: Dartmouth leads, 62-22
In Ithaca, N.Y.: Dartmouth leads, 25-15
Current Streak: Dartmouth won one
Last Meeting: 67-64 OT loss on February 18, 2022
Smith vs. Dartmouth: Dartmouth leads, 24-15
Series Notes: 

• Cornell last beat Dartmouth in the 2021-22 conference opener on January 2, 2022 in a 45-36 contest in Hanover, N.H.
• Two of the last three meetings were settled in overtime, both went Dartmouth's way, each by a margin of three points.

A WIN OVER DARTMOUTH WOULD ... 

• mark the second consecutive season that Cornell opens conference play with a win.
• be the 464th win in program history (463-751 in seasons, .381).

LAST TIME OUT: Cornell 93, Clarion 49
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I GALLERY

• Senior Ania McNicholas earned the first Cornell triple-double since 1988 when she tallied 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 steals.
• The Big Red never trailed against the Golden Eagles, opening the game on a 9-0 run.
• Cornell scored 50+ points in a half for the first time since the 2011-12 season, when the Big Red tallied 50 in the second half against Cleveland State on November 11, 2011.
• The Big Red tallied 40+ points in a half for the fourth time this season.
• McNicholas's single-game steal number is tied for third in the nation this season.
• 11 of the 13 athletes who. saw. time today. scored, five of whom notched double digits.

Photos by Eldon Lindsay and Patrick Shanahan.