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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Cornell
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Cornell Seizes 69-66 Win from Women's Hoops in Final Minute
February 16, 2007 | Women's Basketball
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Jeomi Maduka's plus-one layup with 21 seconds left decided a 69-66 Cornell win over the Princeton women's basketball team Friday night in Ithaca, N.Y.
Maduka, the 2006 Ivy League Rookie of the Year who led the Big Red with 18 points Friday, drove to the basket with her team down 66-64 and pulled the Big Red ahead, 67-66, on the subsequent free throw.
On Princeton's next possession, Cornell's Kayleen Fitzsimmons tipped a Casey Lockwood pass, and Caitlin O'Neill had to foul to send Gretchen Gregg to the line. With seven seconds left, Gregg made both and the Big Red had a 69-66 lead.
The Tigers had one last chance to tie, and Ali Prichard threw a long pass from the opposite baseline intended for Jessica Berry. The pass went long and out of bounds, but the officials whistled that a Big Red player had touched it last, giving Princeton another opportunity. O'Neill took the final shot for the Tigers, but it didn't fall and Cornell hung on.
The loss drops Princeton to 10-12 overall and 4-4 in the Ivy League. All the home teams won in the Ivy Friday night, leaving Harvard (7-1) a game ahead of Dartmouth (6-2) and 1 1/2 games in front of Cornell (6-3). Princeton remained in fourth, ahead of Yale (4-5), Penn (3-5), Brown (2-7) and Columbia (2-7).
The loss also spoiled Lockwood's career-high 22 points on 6 of 8 shooting an 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Her previous high was 21, set in November against Maine. Jessica Berry and Meagan Cowher each had 15 points, while Cowher added a game-high 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.
For the Big Red, Lauren Benson added 13 points and Lindsay Krasna had 10 as Meduka chipped in 11 rebounds for a double-double of her own.
Cornell scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 45-38 lead, but the Tigers clawed back to tie the game at 49-49 and take the lead at 55-53 with 10:19 left on a Cowher bucket. From there, Princeton led or tied until Maduka's decisive bucket in the closing seconds.
It was a game that featured 17 ties and 11 lead changes, reminiscent of the first game Princeton and Cornell played this season. At Jadwin Gym Jan. 13, Princeton came back to tie 66-66 with 44 seconds left, but Cornell scored the last four points to win, 70-66.
Princeton shot 43.2% for the game, ahead of Cornell's 34.3%, but the Big Red outrebounded Princeton 41-37 and had just 10 turnovers to Princeton's 18.
Neither team led by more than five in a first half that saw the Tigers hit 55% from the field, making 11 of 20 shots. Lockwood led the team with 13 points before the break.
The first separation of greater than one possession came when Princeton went on a quick 5-0 run just before the midway point of the half. Jessica Berry followed a pair of free throws from Lockwood with a three-pointer at the 10:01 mark to put the Tigers ahead 20-15.
For the rest of the half, the teams traded mini runs that resulted in gaining and losing leads no greater than five points either way. The Tigers went up by four at 38-34 on a pair of Elyse Umeda free throws with 1:22 left, but Princeton didn't score before the break and Cornell scored four points in the last 40 seconds to tie it at 38-38 going into the locker rooms.
Cornell shot 42% in the first half (14 of 33) and benefitted from fewer turnovers than Princeton, 10-5. While the Big Red held a slim 15-14 lead on the glass, Cornell grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to help its cause.
The Tigers will look to bounce back Saturday with a 7 p.m. tip-off at Columbia.
NOTES
Meagan Cowher's 15 points moved her to 1,052 all-time, good for 16th place. Allison Cahill (1999-2003) is in 15th place with 1,058.
Friday's game was the first time all season that the Tigers have been tied at halftime.
Senior guard Elyse Umeda started for the first time since Feb. 12, 2005 at Columbia. She missed most of last season with an injury suffered Dec. 3, 2005, and has played in 13 games this season.
Katy Digovich played 21 minutes against the Big Red, her most since she logged 29 minutes Feb. 12, 2005 at Columbia.
Katy Digovich's three-pointer near the midpoint of the second half was her first since Feb. 5, 2005 at Harvard.
Cornell had 70 attempts from the field, the most for a Princeton opponent since Minnesota fired 72 shots in November.