In its last action before the holiday break, Cornell’s women’s basketball team dominated Principia in a runaway 72-39 nonconference victory Friday, Dec. 17, inside the Small Sport Center.
The Rams (8-3) raced out to a 19-0 lead to start the contest and finished with a massive 63-33 rebounding advantage en route to their fifth consecutive win.
Sophomore Rachael Adewusi fueled Cornell’s effort, posting her first collegiate double-double with career-highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds. The 5-foot-10 forward grabbed eight offensive boards and shot an efficient 7-of-11 from the field.
Madison Wauters recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ilah Perez-Johnson came off the bench for 12 rebounds and six points.
Ani’ja Simmons tossed in 12 points, while Katelyn Burns added seven rebounds in only four minutes of court time.
Wauters netted nine points during Cornell’s initial 19-0 charge. Principia (1-5) scored its first points with 46 seconds left in the opening quarter. The Rams allowed just two made field goals in the first 12-plus minutes of the game.
The Rams held the Panthers to 23.5-percent shooting and hurried them into 21 turnovers. Cornell’s 63 rebounds were seven shy of the program’s single-game record. The Rams registered 26 rebounds on the offensive end.
Earlier in the week, the Rams took a 55-45 victory over the Kohawks.
Cornell led for all but four minutes of this rematch, holding the Kohawks to 26.8-percent shooting for the game. The Rams broke open a 21-19 halftime lead with a 34-point second half.
The Rams were hot from the foul line, hitting 12-of-13 free throws. Cornell sank all eight of its foul shots in the fourth quarter to seal the road win.
Kali March and Wauters combined to sink 9-of-9 free throws and shared team-high honors with 12 points apiece. Madison Osborn pitched in 10 points.
Simmons led the Rams on the boards with nine rebounds. Adewusi had seven rebounds, seven points and two blocked shots. Wauters added five rebounds.
Coming up – Cornell breaks in the New Year with a rematch against Principia on Jan. 1 in Elsah, Ill.