HARTFORD, Conn. -- Cornell women's basketball (6-4) earned 51 point victory over Hartford, winning 89-38. The Big Red were led by senior captain Ania McNicholas who tallied 19 points in just 20 minutes of play, and sophomore Summer Parker-Hall who tallied the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Cornell opened the first quarter with back-to-back threes from senior captains Shannon Mulroy and McNicholas to take a 6-0 lead just 40 seconds into the game. Kaya Ingram followed suit with another three ball the forced a Hartford timeout less than three minutes in at 7:04. Hartford found the basket on a three of their own right out of the timeout, but McNicholas was already in rhythm and she cashed a three to answer just 14 seconds later. Cornell allowed just four more points from Hartford while tying the most points scored in a quarter this season, closing out the first 21-7.

In the second quarter, Cornell held the Hawks scoreless through the first seven minutes of play. At 2:58, Hartford found its first points of the quarter on a layup following a 16-0 Cornell run. The Big Red allowed a season low four points in the quarter while posting a season-high 27, to lead 48-11 at half.

The Hawks opened the third quarter with quick points, drilling a three 28 seconds in, but that was all the Big Red allowed through the media timeout at 4:56, extending the lead to 63-14. Hartford played the next five minutes close, trailing just 11-10 to close the third quarter, but Cornell led by 50 at 74-24 after the 30th minute.

Hartford once again opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with another three ball. Cornell would not allow another basket until 4:30, when Hartford hit a sixth three-pointer to make it 79-30. The Big Red allowed only eight more points, while expanding the lead to win by 51.

OF NOTE

• Cornell held Hartford to its third lowest score of the season, and boasted the second largest margin of victory the Hawks had faced this season.
• The win marks the first victory by a margin of 50+ since the 1987-88 season, when Cornell beat Mayaquez P.R. 85-29 on December 30th.
• The Big Red scored 40+ points in a half for the second and third time this season, doing so in both halves (48, 41).
• Parker-Hall becomes the first Big Red to earn a double-double in the 2022-23 season (11 points, 10 rebounds).
• The win marks the third straight for Cornell, the most since Nov. 16, 2019 through Nov. 27, 2019, when Cornell tallied four straight wins.

UP NEXT
The Big Red have a brief break before taking a road trip to Pennsylvania. First against Duquesne University at 1:00 p.m. on the 19th of December and then against Penn State at 12:00 p.m. on the 21st.