ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell women's basketball team established itself in the third quarter of Saturday's contest against the Crimson and carried that success to victory, stifling Harvard, 52-49, on Saturday night at Newman Arena.
Junior guard Shannon Mulroy came up huge over the stretch that laid the foundation for the Cornell win, just as she did over the entire contest. Mulroy was the catalyst behind the Big Red offense, scoring a team-high 18 points, including going 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds.
Eight of Mulroy's 18 points came in the second half of the third quarter, which was the very moment when the Big Red found its rhythm. After Cornell opened the game strong, leading 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Harvard defense stunted the Big Red offense in the second. The Crimson limited Cornell to just four points in the frame, overtaking the Big Red and carrying a four-point lead into the locker room, 22-18.
Trailing 30-27 at the media timeout halfway through the third quarter, the Big Red locked in, outscoring the Crimson, 11-4, over the final 4:53 of the period to re-establish a 38-34 lead. Eight of these 11 points were Mulroy's, including the final five points of the quarter, which came on a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws in the final 33 seconds of the period. The Big Red never trailed again, and although Harvard remained on Cornell's heels for the entirety of the fourth, Cornell was unfazed, remaining steady and going on to the 52-49 victory.
The Cornell defense forced Harvard to go ice cold in the third quarter, as the Crimson shot just 15.8 percent from the floor (3-of-19) in the frame, while the Big Red shot an impressive 50 percent (7-of-14). Cornell scored more points in the third quarter than it did in the entire first half, outscoring the Crimson 20-12 in the third. The Big Red held the shooting advantage for the contest, shooting .340 as compared to Harvard's .261.
Junior guard Ania McNicholas, senior forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo, and freshman forward Summer Parker-Hall were all key players in what was just the 14th-time in program history that Cornell has defeated the Crimson. McNicholas scored nine points, while Mbanefo filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds, seven points, and a career- and game-high five assists. Parker-Hall added six points and a career-best nine rebounds.
With the victory, Cornell secured a win over Harvard in back-to-back seasons and notched its first win over the Crimson at Newman Arena since the 2016-17 campaign. The Big Red improves to 9-13 (4-7 Ivy) on the year, while Harvard dropped its third-straight game and falls to 12-12 (6-6 Ivy).
The Cornell women's basketball team will be back in action for a midweek Ivy League tilt against Penn on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
