ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell women's basketball fell 91-64 to Columbia, who was receiving votes in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. Emily Pape led the Big Red Scoring effort with 16 points, while also grabbing four rebounds, three assists, and was the only player on Cornell to not commit a foul.

After Columbia began the game on a 6-0 run, Ania McNicholas hit the first Cornell points at 7:05 when she buried a three ball from Anna Hovis. Columbia was not shaken though, scoring another 5-0 run before Mia Beam notched a layup and foul to get a three-point play to cut the deficit to 11-6 with just over five to play in the first quarter. McNicholas brought the Margin even closer after hitting a shot from well beyond the arc to beat out the shot clock. Columbia's Abbey Hsu, who tallied a game-high 20 points, had the immediate answer with a three ball of her own. Columbia would go on to close the quaarter on a 9-2 scoring run to lead 23-11 after one.

Columbia opened the second period of play with a 5-0 run. Cornell added to the board off a layup from Summer Parker Hall to make the score 28-13. A rebound from Hovis gave the Big Red the ball back but a steal and layup from Columbia's Jaida Patrick doubled the deficit to 30-13. Pape finally joined the Big Red scoring at 5:14 in the second when she made back-to-back-to-back shots separated by a two Lions points each time. The Big Red would then close the quarter matching Columbia's six points to trail 42-26 at halftime. Columbia shot for 50% behind the arc in the first half, and went a collective 17-28 from the field.

The Big Red drew first blood in the second half off a shot from Parker-Hall that was quickly answered by Kitty Henderson from Columbia. The Lions went on to hit their sixth shot from deep of the day just 34 seconds later to bring the score to 47-28. Back-to-back points from Kaya Ingram and Parker Hall brought the score to 47-32 but a 7-0 run extended the Lions' lead to 54-32. Mulroy's steal and full-court pass to Parker-Hall narrowed the margin back to 20 points at 6:30 in the third, but the Big Red would not get any closer, never cutting the lead lower than this to close out the game.

OF NOTE

• Pape led the Big Red in scoring for the third time out of the past four contests.
• McNicholas tied her season-high made three pointers with three.
• For the first time in League play this season, Cornell had three players tally double-digit points.

UP NEXT
Cornell will return to action on Saturday, January 21 to host Harvard in Newman Arena at 2 p.m.