ITHACA, N.Y. – Columbia's Riley Weiss scored a game-high 38 points as the Lions defeated Cornell 80-55 on Saturday afternoon in Ivy League women's basketball action from Newman Arena.
 
Weiss finished the game 13-for-20 from the field, including 9-for-12 from three-point range. Nasi Simmons added 11 points, while Susie Rafiu and Perri Page each contributed 10 points in the win. Page finished with a team-best six rebounds and teammate Mia Broom had a game-best six assists and five steals. Columbia (15-6, 6-2 Ivy) shot 57.4 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from 3-point range, while winning the battle on the glass, 33-14.
 
Cornell was led by sophomore guard Kelsey Langston's career-high 13 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers and three additional free throws. Junior Rachel Kaus contributed 12 points and a team-high four rebounds, followed by fellow junior Clarke Jackson's 10 points and team-high three steals. Senior Emily Pape recorded four assists in the contest to go with five points and a block. The Big Red (8-13, 3-5 Ivy) shot 47.5 percent from the floor, going 19-for-40 on field goal attempts, including 4-for-7 from three-point range.
 
The Lions outscored Cornell 19-11 in the opening 7:20 of the contest, forcing the Big Red to use an early timeout. Cornell responded in the final two-plus minutes of the opening quarter with a 9-2 run to close the first down one, 21-20. Langston scored five of her 13 during the stretch as the Big Red went 4-for-5 from the field.
 
The Big Red offense couldn't maintain its momentum from the end of the first as it was outscored 21-9 in the second quarter, including a 13-3 Columbia run over a six-minute stretch that helped the visiting Lions take a 42-29 lead into halftime.
 
Turnovers plagued the Big Red to start the third, as five in the first three minutes of the half allowed Columbia to mount a 20-point advantage, 51-31, and force a timeout from the home team. The Lions maintained that cushion into the final stanza.
 
With the score 61-41 to start the fourth, Cornell showed some life, outscoring Columbia 10-7 while going 3-for-4 from the field in the first few minutes, with freshman Trinity Jones and Langston knocking down a pair of triples. Pape also appeared to connect from three during the stretch, but after review later in the quarter it was changed to a two.
 
The Lions' defense tightened in the home stretch, holding the Big Red to four points in the final seven minutes of play to earn the 80-55 win.
 
Game Notes
• Saturday marked the 86th meeting all-time between Cornell and Columbia. Despite the loss, the Big Red holds a 51-35 advantage in the series.
• Cornell and Columbia split the season series for the first time since 2019-20.
• The Big Red shot over 47.0 percent from the field for the third consecutive game and fifth time this season.
• Columbia's field goal percentage of 57.4 percent is the most allowed by Cornell in a game since Jan. 27, 2024, when Princeton shot 58.3 percent.
• Senior Emily Pape played in her 100th career game for the Big Red.
• Langston's 13 surpassed her previous career-high of eight points set against Siena earlier this season.
• Kaus has now reached double-digit points for the 15th time this season, while Jackson recorded her 11th game in double figures.

Next Up
Cornell will play Penn and nationally ranked Princeton next Friday (Feb. 14) and Saturday (Feb. 15), respectively. The Big Red and Quakers will tip off at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 5 p.m. start on Saturday against the Tigers.