Feb. 18, 2006
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Cornell University women's basketball team came back from a 10-point second half deficit to defeat Penn, 56-54 at the Palestra this evening. The victory gave the Big Red its first season sweep over the Quakers since the 1996-97 season.
Freshman Jeomi Maduka (Arlington, Texas) led Cornell with 21 points, while sophomore Lindsay Krasna (Yardley, Pa.) pitched in 14 points. Freshman Kayleen Fitzsimmons (Wheeling, W.Va.) also had 11 points, connecting on 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and senior Brittani Rettig (Mesquite, Texas) handed out a game and career-high six assists.
Penn was led by Joey Rhoades with 19 points and Kelly Scott with 13, while Jennifer Fleischer grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Penn (4-18, 2-7) took the 10 point lead early in the second half before a layup by Maduka began a 7-0 scoring run by the Big Red to make it 40-37 with 12:34 to play. During the run, Cornell got a made free throw and a 10-foot jumper by freshman Shannan Scarselletta (Buffalo, N.Y.), as well as a fast break layup by Maduka. The Quakers stopped the run when Brilynne Parrish hit a 3-pointer following a Penn timeout to make it 43-37 with 12:10 to play. Cornell would use a 9-2 scoring run to take its first lead of the game since the 15:15 mark of the first half, going up 46-45 on a 3-pointer by Fitzsimmons with 6:27 remaining. The lead was short-lived, however, when two made free throws by Rhoades would put Penn back up by one, 47-46. A jumper by Carrie Biemer extended the lead to three, but another clutch 3-pointer by Fitzsimmons tied the game at 49 apiece and a layup by Maduka gave the visitors the 51-49 lead with under two minutes to play.
The final minute of play was fast and furious as Cornell went up 54-49 after Maduka connected on a three-point play, making her only foul shot of the game after scoring on a spectacular reverse layup. On the ensuing trip down the court, Scott was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and made all three of her foul shots to make it 54-52 with 33 seconds to go, giving the Quakers its first points in nearly five minutes of action. Two made foul shots by Krasna with 20 seconds remaining was answered by a five foot jumper by Parrish to make it 56-54. Penn had one final chance at victory, but the last second shot went off course, giving the Big Red the win.
The game started well for Cornell as the Big Red jumped out to an early 6-2 lead behind the strength of back-to-back 3-pointers by Fitzsimmons and senior Hillary Seidel (Seattle, Wash.), but the Quakers got a rare four-point play by Rhoades, who nailed a 3-pointer and then knocked down a foul shot to make it six apiece with16:17 to play.
Trailing 17-12 following a layup by Fleischer, Cornell got four straight points from Fitzsimmons and Krasna to pull the team within one, 17-16 with 9:37 to play. Penn slowly extended its lead to four points, going up 22-18, following a three-point play by Scott, but the Big Red fought back and a layup by Maduka, followed by a running jumper from Krasna, tied the game at 26-26 with 5:14 in the first half. An 8-0 scoring run by the Quakers to close out the half would give the home team a 34-26 lead at the intermission.
For the game, Cornell connected on 38.3 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from 3-point range, while the Quakers shot 37.3 percent from the field, but only 23.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Big Red held the slight edge on the boards, 39-38, and only turned the ball over eight times, including only twice in the crucial second half, while forcing 10 Quaker turnovers.
Cornell (8-15, 5-5) is back in action next weekend when it travels to New Haven, Conn., to take on Yale on Friday, Feb.24 at the Lee Amphitheater at 7 p.m.