In a matchup of Midwest Conference women’s basketball contenders, Cornell shot past Lawrence for a 52-43 comeback victory Sunday afternoon inside Alexander Gym.
The Rams overcame a five-point halftime deficit, shooting 56.5 percent from the field after intermission to claim their fifth consecutive series win over the Vikings.
Cornell is now two games ahead of third-place Lawrence and Grinnell, and only one game behind league-leading Ripon. The Rams have two meetings ahead with Ripon over the next three weeks.
Cornell’s balanced attack had four scorers reach double figures, led by 13 points from freshman Heidi Jorgensen. Kali March and Rachael Adewusi netted 11 points apiece, followed by Ani’ja Simmons with 10.
March went 3-of-3 from long range and passed current assistant coach Rose Shimaoka (2016-20) for sixth place on Cornell’s career list for 3-point goals with 121.
The Rams, who trailed by as many as eight points early in the second half, took control with an 11-0 third-quarter spurt, fueled by a pair of 3-pointers from Jorgensen. Cornell then broke the game open with a 13-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
Adewusi led all players with nine rebounds, while Simmons grabbed eight.
Cornell held the Vikings to 6-of-22 shooting over the final 20 minutes en route to its fourth consecutive victory.
Earlier in the week, Cornell won 62-49 over Monmouth.
Cornell claimed its third consecutive win and climbed to 5-1 in the MWC, one game back of league leader Ripon.
Adewusi turned in her best performance of the season with 15 points, six rebounds and five steals – all team-highs. The senior forward connected on 7-of-10 field goals in a productive 19 minutes.
Jackson drained three 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 13 points as the Rams held a decisive 35-14 advantage in bench points against the Fighting Scots.
Senior guard Kali March delivered 14 points, three assists and three steals. She passed Haley Grana (2014-18) and Sierra Bisso (2013-17) for fifth place on Cornell’s career steals list with 160.
The Rams took control with a 20-7 third-quarter surge, building their biggest lead of the night at 54-36. Cornell hit 8-of-11 field goals in the third period and shot a season-best 48.1 percent for the game.
Ani’ja Simmons added eight points and four rebounds for the Rams. Bradie Buffington had five points and five rebounds.