The Cornell women had an uneven week, with two losses and one win in play on the court.
Rachael Adewusi and Madison Wauters both recorded double-doubles as Cornell’s women’s basketball team fell short to surging Knox, 61-42, Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Gym.
The Rams (10-6 overall, 5-4 Midwest Conference) slipped to fourth place in the league race, while second-place Knox (10-9, 8-3) remained in title contention with its eighth straight win.
Cornell will get another shot at Knox Monday with a 7 p.m. tipoff in Mount Vernon.
Adewusi turned in a strong stat line with game-highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. The sophomore forward snared seven offensive boards.
Wauters, coming off a career-high 24-point effort Thursday, continued her fine play with 12 points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive). It was the junior center’s fifth double-double of the campaign.
The Rams endured a slow start and chilly shooting night from the field. Knox built a 16-5 lead through one quarter and stretched the margin to 33-19 by halftime. Cornell was held to 25.0-percent shooting for the game.
Cornell outrebounded the home team, 46-38, with help from Ani’ja Simmons’ seven boards. Kali March contributed six points and three steals.
Earlier in the week, the Rams won against Monomuth 58-51.
Junior center Madison Wauters netted a career-high 24 points and guided Cornell’s women’s basketball team to a pivotal 58-51 home win over Midwest Conference challenger Monmouth Thursday night inside the Small Sport Center.
With the game tied 39-39 through three quarters, Wauters shouldered the offensive load with 10 points in the final period, bringing the Rams home down the stretch. She finished an efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the field and sank all eight of her free throw attempts. Wauters also grabbed eight rebounds.
Cornell surged ahead with an 11-2 spurt to start the fourth quarter. Monmouth (9-6 overall, 6-3 MWC) responded with nine unanswered points, making it a 50-49 game with less than two minutes to go.
The Rams went back to the 6-foot-3 Wauters, who converted a bucket in the paint and then two free throws on the next possession to stretch the lead to 54-49.
Sophomore Ani’ja Simmons had a strong game with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Rams also took a loss against Grinnell 42-38.
Grinnell used an 11-0 second-half run to get past Cornell, 42-38, on a challenging offensive night for both Midwest Conference women’s basketball teams.
Cornell junior center Madison Wauters delivered her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Rachael Adewusi was also tough on the boards, corralling a season-high 15 rebounds.
A jumper by Madison Osborn and a free throw from Wauters brought Cornell to within 40-38 with 1:11 remaining. The Rams misfired on a go-ahead 3-point attempt at the 21-second mark and Lillis then sank two free throws to seal the game.