Beloit rallied from eight points down in the final quarter and nipped the Rams, 59-57, in Saturday’s Midwest Conference women’s basketball regular-season finale inside Flood Arena.
Madison Osborn netted 17 points and Madison Wauters went for eight points and 11 rebounds for Cornell (10-13 overall), which finished third in the MWC standings at 9-7.
The Rams now focus their attention to next week’s MWC Tournament, hosted by Ripon College. Cornell faces No. 2 seed Knox in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday in Ripon, Wis.
Osborn drained four 3-pointers in the game, including a triple at the end of the third quarter that pushed the Rams ahead 51-43. Her 17 total points were one shy of her season-best.
Beloit opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run, and the teams went back-and-forth down the stretch. Megan Gandrup’s bucket tied it at 56-56 with less than two minutes to go. The Buccaneers (8-17 overall, 4-12 MWC) answered with the go-ahead bucket at 58-56 with 21 seconds remaining.
Cornell’s Rachael Adewusi hit 1-of-2 foul shots with eight seconds left, cutting the margin to 58-57. Beloit hit one free throw on the other end and the Rams were unable to get off a final shot attempt.
Adewusi came off the bench to contribute 11 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Kali March added nine points and five boards. Mia Murray recorded four of Cornell’s nine steals.
Wauters reached double-digit rebounds for the eighth time this season, hiking her career total to 490.
Earlier in the week, the team celebrated a 66-55 Midwest Conference victory over Monmouth.
Cornell pressured the Fighting Scots into 26 turnovers and used a 21-point fourth quarter to put this game away.
Senior guard Madison Osborn paced four Cornell scorers in double figures with 13 points. She drained three 3-point goals, climbing to 11th place on the program’s career list with 92.
Senior Megan Gandrup totaled 12 points and three steals in her final home contest. Rachael Adewusi and A’ryn Jackson contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, off Cornell’s bench.
The Rams came away with 17 steals, one shy of their season high. Karli Artman and Mia Murray collected four steals apiece, while Murray also had six points and six rebounds. Katelyn Burns grabbed a team-best seven rebounds in a reserve role.
Monmouth hung around late and closed within 57-53 with 3:01 remaining. The Rams answered with seven consecutive points on a bucket by Adewusi, a 3-pointer from Gandrup and a jumper by Kali March.
Following the contest, the Rams recognized three successful seniors in Osborn, Gandrup and Madison Wauters. The group helped lead the team back to the conference tournament for the ninth time since 2012.
Rams edged at Beloit in regular-season finale, 59-57
February 23, 2023