SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Cornell struggled offensively and turned the ball over 17 times as Bryant defeated the Big Red 64-38 Friday night in non-conference women's basketball action from the Chace Athletic Center.

Bryant (2-0) was led by Mia Mancini's game-high 18 points and Nia Scott's 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 43.4 percent from the field, including 35.3 percent from 3-point range, while winning the battle on the glass, 36-34.

Cornell (0-1) went 13-for-50 from the field, including 5-for-18 from 3-point range. Senior Emily Pape tallied nine points and seven rebounds, while freshman Grace Renners added seven points on 3-for-5 shooting off the bench. Junior Rachel Kaus finished with five points, three rebounds, and two assists.

The Big Red offense struggled to find its rhythm early, scoring just two points in the first 9:55 of the contest, before Pape drained a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining in the first quarter.

That triple sparked a 13-3 run for Cornell as it pulled within three, 18-15, at the 6:35 mark of the second quarter. Pape added two more 3-pointers and Renners contributed four off the bench to get the Big Red back into the game after trailing 17-5 at the end of the opening 10 minutes.

After calling a timeout to halt the Big Red run, the Bulldogs regained their double-digit lead three and a half minutes later, 26-15, on the heels of a quick 6-0 run. By the end of the first half, Cornell was able to trim the Bryant lead back down to single digits, 29-20.

Bryant remained in charge through the start of the second half despite Cornell getting within five, 32-27. However, by the media timeout, the Bulldog lead was back to nine, 36-27, and two minutes later it was 14, 44-30, the Bulldogs' second-largest advantage of the evening to that point, forcing Cornell to take a timeout.

From there, the Bryant lead would balloon to 19 points, 50-31, by the end of the frame, as the Big Red offense stalled, shooting 33.3 percent for the 10-minute stretch, compared to 50.0 percent for the Bulldogs.

Cornell's second-half offensive struggles would continue in the fourth, going 2-for-12 from the floor in the final quarter as Bryant coasted to the 64-38 victory to spoil the Big Red season opener.

GAME NOTES
• Cornell suffered its second-straight loss to Bryant and is now 3-2 all-time against the Bulldogs.
• Friday night marked the first time Cornell lost to Bryant in Smithfield, R.I., moving to 1-1 all-time at the Chace Athletic Center.
• Cornell is now 22-32 all-time in season openers, including 9-23 in season openers on the road.
• Pape recorded nine points and is now 154 points away from 1,000 for her career.
• Audrey Chen finished the game with three assists, a career-best for the sophomore out of California.
• Four of Cornell's five freshmen made their collegiate debuts.

NEXT UP
The Big Red will continue its four-game road trip to begin the season when it takes on Pitt on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Cornell is 0-2 all-time against Pitt.