ITHACA, N.Y. - A thrilling game between the Cornell Big Red and the Penn Quakers saw eight lead changes and four tie scores but Penn ultimately came away victorious with a 61-54 final score. The Big Red drops to 7-16 (1-10) Ivy League while the Quakers improve to 13-11 (5-6 Ivy).
 
Freshman Rachel Kaus paced the Cornell offense with 15 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, marking her seventh game reaching double figures this season. Azareya Kilgoe rounded out the duo of double-figure scores with 11 points for her eighth time surpassing the double-digit mark this season. Summer Parker-Hall led the Big Red on the boards with eight.

Penn's Jordan Obi (18), Stina Almqvist (15), and Mataya Gayle (12) each hit double figures in the contest. Obi accounted for a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds. Almqvist poured on the defense with four blocks, while Floor Toonders added two as well.
 
The Penn Quakers and the Cornell Big Red traded baskets to begin the first quarter and a stop on defense allowed the home team to grab the lead momentarily before the visitors ignited a 7-0 run. A shot clock violation on both ends of the court coming out of the media timeout made for a stalemate in the 9-6 Penn lead. The Quakers extended their unanswered surge with two points but were met with a response basket out of the hands of Clarke Jackson. Possession awarded to Cornell on a jump ball from its defensive end allowed for back-to-back Big Red baskets with Kaya Ingram responsible for cutting the deficit to 11-10. Cornell gained momentum on both ends of the court when sophomore Emily Pape forced a turnover and good passing from Ingram to Rachel Kaus brought the edge back to the Big Red. Penn earned the lead back using a trip to the charity stripe to conclude the first period at a 13-12 lead for the Quakers.
 
Cornell and Penn continued trading the lead with Kaus making a basket after a stop on defense, but the Quakers answered with one of their own to ignite a 9-2 surge for Penn to make for a 22-16 lead into the second quarter media timeout. Neither squad saw solid offensive opportunities, both teams only managed four more points apiece for the remainder of the quarter to make the score 26-20 with Penn ahead at the halftime break.

Pape got the Big Red scoring started in the third quarter, using a pass from Ingram under the basket to cut the lead to 26-22 but Penn responded on the other end with two points of its own. A pair of free throws from Ingram and Kilgoe as well as a major effort from the Big Red press allowed them to cut into the deficit. Cornell built momentum, forcing two defensive stops and a full-court pass from Ingram to Kilgoe was the result. Kaus notched the game-tying bucket with a three-point opportunity on the way, drawing a foul and stepping to the free throw line where she was unable to convert. Cornell was off to a 16-0 run to, Kilgoe leading the way with six of those points, while Penn was scoreless for nearly six minutes of game time allowing the Big Red to balloon their lead to 39-31 before the Quakers finally found a point with just over a minute to play in the quarter. Cornell held a 39-35 advantage at the final buzzer of the third stanza.

Penn earned the first points of the quarter, but Kaus once again worked Cornell into the scoring column with a layup off a pass from Pape. The sophomore forward, Pape, earned her way to the charity stripe and Summer Parker Hall laid in two points to extend the lead to 45-37 before the Quakers responded with a bucket. A three-point shot out of the hands of Clarke Jackson had Newman Arena roaring but was quickly silenced by a basket for Penn, but Cornell still owned the advantage at 47-41 with five minutes to play. The Quakers managed a 11-2 surge to pull ahead once again, forcing the Big Red into a timeout. Cornell was unable to close out the game, resulting in a 61-54 final score.
 

UP NEXT

The Big Red embarks on a two-game Ivy trip to Yale on Friday, March 1 and Brown on Saturday, March 2. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.