Cornell fought first-place Ripon for 45 minutes, although fell a couple buckets short in a 77-72 women’s basketball overtime loss Saturday inside Weiske Gymnasium.
The Rams (9-4 overall, 4-2 MWC) had a six-game winning streak snapped, but didn’t go down quietly in a tough road matchup against the Red Hawks (9-9 overall, 8-1 MWC).
Cornell sophomore Kali March tossed in a career-high 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field with four 3-pointers. She sank clutch long-range shots down the stretch, highlighted by a 24-foot game-tying swish from the wing with three seconds left in regulation that forced overtime.
March buried a pair of 3-pointers in the extra five-minute period, the last one bringing the Rams within 74-72 with 18 seconds remaining. Ripon hit three free throws in the closing seconds to escape with the win.
The hot-shooting Rams, who led 52-47 midway through the fourth quarter, knocked down a season-high 11 3-point goals on 24 attempts. Madison Osborn was on target from distance, draining four threes and finishing with 15 points.
Megan Gandrup provided 10 points off Cornell’s bench. Madison Wauters contributed nine points, six rebounds, a team-high five assists and two blocked shots while logging 40 minutes. Rachael Adewusi grabbed six rebounds.
Cornell’s 72 points scored tied for the most allowed by Ripon in MWC play this season.
Cornell is home Tuesday to face Grinnell (6-9 overall, 3-5 MWC) at 7:30 p.m. inside the Small Sport Center.