PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton offense was firing on all cylinders, as the Tigers' combined a balanced scoring attack and an efficient offensive effort to power past the Cornell women's basketball team, 75-37, on Friday night at Jadwin Gymnasium. With the loss, Cornell falls to 7-11 on the season (2-5 Ivy), while Princeton improves to 15-4 (7-0 Ivy).
Although it was all Princeton on Friday night, Cornell senior guard Samantha Will's offensive poise continues to develop more and more each game, as she paced Cornell in scoring for the fourth time in the last five games with eight points. Junior guard Shannon Mulroy added seven, while sophomore guard Kaya Ingram and senior forward Theresa Grace Mbanefo each chipped in six. Mbanefo also pulled down a team-high six rebounds to go along with a pair of assists and a pair of steals.
The Big Red defense was on point out of the gates, holding Princeton to just four points over the first four and a half minutes of the first quarter. Back-to-back Tiger 3-pointers quickly turned a one-point Princeton lead into a seven-point advantage, 10-3, with 4:44 remaining in the opening frame. It was the beginning of what would be a 14-2 run for Princeton to close out the quarter, giving the Tigers an 18-5 lead at the end of the first and foreshadowing more of what was to come for the Big Red.
Princeton finished the contest having shot .463 (25-54) from the floor while limiting Cornell to its second-lowest point total this season. As if the Tigers' sharp-shooting wasn't enough of a challenge for the Big Red to try to overcome, Princeton capitalized from the charity stripe. The Tigers found itself on the line 21 times in the contest, and Princeton converted on 19 of them, shooting .905 from the free throw line as a team. A number of Princeton's free throws resulted from second chance opportunities, as the Tigers outrebounded Cornell, 34-27, converting 14 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points. The Big Red's 22 turnovers also proved costly, as nearly half of Princeton's 75 points were a result of the Big Red's giveaways.
The Tigers finished the contest with three scorers in double figures, lead by Grace Stone's 14 points. Abby Meyers netted 12 and Julia Cunningham scored 11.
The Cornell women's basketball team will look to bounce back tomorrow night when it takes on Penn (7-12, 2-5 Ivy) at 4 p.m. at The Palestra in Philadelphia.
