ITHACA, N.Y. – It was a neck-and-neck battle from the onset, but Dartmouth ultimately got the final strike, edging the Cornell women's basketball team in overtime, 67-64, on Friday night at Newman Arena.

After Dartmouth scored the first five points of the extra frame to take a 63-58 lead with 2:03 remaining in overtime, the Cornell senior duo of Theresa Grace Mbanefo and Samantha Will took the game into their own hands, combining for six-straight Big Red points to give the Big Red a 64-63 lead with just 17 seconds remaining. Mbanefo notched back-to-back layups on assists from junior guard Shannon Mulroy and sophomore guard Kaya Ingram, while Will stepped up to the free throw line with poise in crunch time, converting both shots from the charity stripe.

With 13 seconds remaining, however, Dartmouth's Mekkena Boyd hit a reverse layup, giving the Big Green the 65-64 lead. Cornell was forced to foul several plays later with time expiring, and Allie Harland made both free throws for the Big Green, icing the 67-64 victory for Dartmouth.

What Mbanefo and Will did in overtime was just a snapshot of the impact that the pair had throughout the entire game, scoring 19 points apiece to combine for 38 of Cornell's 64 points in the contest. The point total marked a new career-high for Will, who was feeling it from downtown, sinking a career-best five 3-pointers (5-of-10). Mbanefo was one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down a team-high nine boards while adding three steals and a pair of assists.

Ingram also finished the game with a career-high, notching 10 points for the first double-digit game of her career. She contributed in multiple facets of the game, matching a career-high seven rebounds and dishing out a game-high and career-best six assists. Mulroy distributed five assists while adding seven points.

In total, six different Big Red student-athletes grabbed at least five rebounds, including Mbanefo (9), junior guard Ania McNicholas (8), Ingram (7), freshman forward Summer Parker-Hall (6), Mulroy (5), and Will (5), helping Cornell outrebound the Big Green, 52-48. Where Dartmouth was outrebounded, the Big Green made up for with its own depth, as the Big Green's bench scored 29 points to the Big Red's 12.

In a game that saw 15 lead changes, the Big Red found itself trailing by four points, 58-54, with just 1:03 remaining in regulation. Cornell quickly made up that deficit to force an extra period, as an offensive rebound and put back by Mulroy and Mbanefo layup ensued to knot things up. Dartmouth's Boyd got to the rim for a great look as time was expiring, but couldn't finish, sending things to overtime. As it turned out, Boyd would get the final say in the end.

With the loss, the Big Red falls to 8-13 (3-7 Ivy) on the season, while Dartmouth improves to 3-20 (2-9 Ivy). Dartmouth has had Cornell's number in overtime games as of late, as two of the last three meetings between the two schools have gone to overtime, and the Big Green has emerged victorious in both of those matchups.

The Cornell women's basketball team will look to bounce back tomorrow when it plays Harvard at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.