SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Freshman Katie Leonard scored 15 points with four 3-pointers and a career-high five assists, but Cornell fell to Syracuse 80-48 on Sunday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Big Red drops to 1-2.
Leonard set career highs with five assists and 26 minutes off the bench. She shot 5-for-11 from the field and 4-for-9 from 3-point range, and scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half. Junior Audrey Chen added 11 points with two 3-pointers, and sophomore Ally Pape had six points, going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line, with four rebounds.
Syracuse sophomore Uche Izoje led all scorers with 22 points on 11-for-14 shooting and added eight rebounds. Tyi Skinner had 14 points, hitting three of her four 3-point attempts, and Emely Rodriguez added 13 points and three steals. The Orange (2-0) scored 46 points in the paint and 21 off 19 Cornell turnovers.
Before tipoff, the programs held a moment of silence in memory of Linda Lerch, Cornell's head coach from 1981-88 and a longtime Syracuse basketball supporter.
Chen's 3-pointer off a Clarke Jackson assist tied the game 3-3 early. Syracuse then pulled ahead with a 10-0 run and led 21-10 after one quarter. Leonard scored five points in the final 1:36 of the quarter, on a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer. The Orange took control in the second quarter, holding Cornell to 1-for-10 shooting, and led 42-12 at halftime. Izoje had 18 of her 22 points in the first half.
Syracuse opened the third quarter on an 11-1 run to go up 54-13. From there, Cornell outscored the Orange 35-26 the rest of the way. The Big Red closed the third quarter on a 14-6 run, with seven players scoring, including a Leonard 3-pointer and a Brooke Nunnally-Gardner tip-in.
Cornell won the fourth quarter 21-20. Chen scored eight straight Big Red points in 49 seconds midway through the period. She hit a 3-pointer, finished an and-one layup after a Rachel Kaus steal, then scored on another layup. Leonard added two 3-pointers in the quarter, and Pape scored six points.
Cornell shot 30.8 percent (16-for-52) from the field and 6-for-23 from 3-point range. It made 10 of 14 free throws.
Syracuse leads the all-time series 19-4 and has won the last 10 meetings.
Next Up
Cornell returns home Friday, Nov. 13, to host Canisius at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena. The game will stream on ESPN+. Canisius leads the all-time series 7-4, but the Big Red has won the last three meetings, including a 62-50 win at Canisius last season.
