Bulldogs Split Season-Series With Big Red

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Yale women's basketball team grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and held the Ivy League's leading scorer, Nia Marshall, to only nine points, but the Bulldogs could not overcome a 25-percent shooting performance, losing to Cornell, 56-37, on Friday night in the Newman Arena.

The Bulldogs (11-12, 5-4 Ivy) struggled finding ways to score, despite taking 15 more shots than the Big Red due to the 17 offensive boards. With the loss, the Elis fall out of a tie for third place in the league and have now dropped their last four games.

Sophomore Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) led Yale with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds and snagging one steal. Four Bulldogs had five points on the night, including sophomore guard Lena Munzer (Highland Park, Ill.), who also grabbed six rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.

In uncharacteristic fashion, the Bulldogs turned the ball over more times than their opponent for the first time since the Maine game on Jan. 7. The Elis came into the game forcing an average of 18.2 turnovers per game, but only caused 13 by Cornell, while the Bulldogs turned it over 14 times.

Cornell turned 14 Yale turnovers into 18 points, while the Bulldogs scored only five off the Big Red's 13. Junior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) had a team-high three steals.

For the third straight game, Yale was severely outshot from the free throw line, making 2-of-2 on Friday night compared to Cornell's 12-of-18.

However, the Bulldogs inability to score from the field was the difference. Yale made 15-of-60 baskets for the game, resulting in a season-low 25-percent shooting performance. Despite the overall shooting deficiency, the Bulldogs held an edge in three-point shooting, going 5-of-14 (35.7-percent) on the night.

Cornell's combination of sophomore forwards, Marshall, and Nicholle Aston, controlled the paint for the Big Red, leading their team to a 28-12 scoring advantage in the lane. Aston scored 10 points (5-of-11) with seven rebounds. The duo has combined for five Ivy League Player of the Week awards this season.

Down by as many as 12 points in the first half, the Bulldogs cut the deficit to three at the 11:23 mark of the second half. After jumpers by junior forward Meredith Boardman (Oak Park, Ill.) and freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.), as well as a layup by Werner, Yale was on a 6-0 run and picking up steam.

Marshall and Aston would answer back for Cornell, hitting a layup and jumper, respectively, pushing the lead back to seven.

From that point on, the Bulldogs went cold from the field, scoring only five points the rest of the way on 1-of-15 shooting. Cornell finished the game on a 21-5 run.

The Bulldogs were outscored, 25-15, in the second half due in large part to shooting 21.4-percent (6-of-28) from the field as a team.

Yale went into the half trailing by only nine, despite shooting 28.1-percent and not taking one free throw. The Bulldog defense was its normal stingy self in the first 20 minutes, grabbing five steals and holding Marshall to only five points on 1-of-3 shooting (averages 17.7 points per game).

Eli defenders were called on 13 personal fouls in the first half, giving Cornell the ability to go 10-of-14 from the line. The rebounding edge belonged to the Bulldogs, though, holding a 20-17 advantage heading into the locker room.

For a seven-plus minute span in the first half, Yale was scoreless, allowing Cornell to jump out to a 10-point lead. Cornell shot 45.5-percent from the field in the first half, but the Bulldogs were still within striking distance.

Freshman guard Mary Ann Santucci (Seattle, Wash.) turned in a solid effort for Yale, scoring five points with three rebounds and a team-high three assists in her 25 minutes on the floor.

In addition to Marshall and Aston, Cornell received nine points from sophomore guard Kerri Moran, while guard Maddie Campbell and forward Sarah Poland chipped in eight apiece.

The Bulldogs will look to get back in the win column on Sunday afternoon when they take on Columbia at 1 p.m., live on the American Sports Network. The game will be broadcast on NESN Plus, an ASN affiliate, in the Hartford and New Haven markets.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity