Cornell women’s basketball dropped an 80-55 Ivy League contest to Columbia on Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena, as the Lions used efficient shooting and a strong second quarter to pull away.
Columbia was led by Riley Weiss, who scored a game-high 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting, including 9-of-12 from three-point range. Nasi Simmons added 11 points, while Susie Rafiu and Perri Page each contributed 10 points. The Lions shot 57.4 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from three-point range, and held a 33-14 rebounding advantage.
Sophomore guard Kelsey Langston paced Cornell with a career-high 13 points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field with two three-pointers. Junior Rachel Kaus added 12 points, while junior Clarke Jackson scored 10 points and recorded three steals. The Big Red shot 47.5 percent from the floor but struggled to match Columbia’s scoring runs.
Cornell trailed by just one point after the first quarter following a late 9-2 surge, but Columbia responded with a 21-9 second-quarter advantage to take a 42-29 lead into halftime. Turnovers early in the third quarter allowed the Lions to extend the margin to 20 points, and the visitors maintained control the rest of the way.
The loss moved Cornell to 8-13 overall and 3-5 in Ivy League play.
The Big Red returns to action Friday, February 14, hosting Penn at 6 p.m., before facing Princeton on Saturday, February 15, at 5 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
