Cornell’s women’s basketball team opens its home schedule Thursday against Fredonia, looking for its first win after a season-opening loss at Connecticut. The game starts at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena and will stream on ESPN+.
The Big Red are 0-1 following a 100-35 defeat to UConn, according to Cornell’s matchup preview. Thursday is an exhibition for Division III Fredonia, which begins its regular season Saturday against William Smith.
The programs have met only once before. Fredonia won that game 63-45 during the 1976-77 season, leaving a long gap between their first meeting and Thursday’s visit to Ithaca.
Returning production anchors Cornell
Cornell enters the season with much of its offense intact. The roster returns 80.4% of its scoring, 77.5% of its rebounding and 85.8% of its assists from last season, giving the Big Red an experienced base as coach Emily Garner begins her third year with the program.
Rachel Kaus led the returning group with 11.2 points per game last season. Clarke Jackson averaged 9.6 points, followed by Paige Engels at 5.9 and Audrey Chen at 4.6. Their production is part of a team seeking to build on a 9-18 overall record and 4-10 Ivy League finish.
Those marks improved on Cornell’s 7-20 overall and 3-11 league records the previous year. Six of last season’s victories came on the road. The Big Red were picked sixth in this year’s preseason poll with 60 points, compared with seventh and 45 points the year before.
Kaus scored eight points in the opener, bringing her career total to 783 and placing her 27th on Cornell’s scoring list. She needs nine points to pass Lauren Benson’s 791 and 14 to pass Tanya Karcic’s 796 for 25th. Reaching 1,000 career points would require another 217.
Cornell also returns an established distributor in Kelsey Langston, whose 89 assists last season averaged 3.3 per game. She played 33.2 minutes per contest and posted a 1.29 assist-to-turnover ratio, fourth in the Ivy League.
Freshmen get early minutes
Four freshmen combined for 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the UConn game. Simone Richmond contributed seven points and four rebounds in 17 minutes, while Katie Leonard finished with five points, three rebounds and a block in 21 minutes.
Rhylin Fehrenbach and Brooke Nunnally-Gardner also appeared. Richmond accounted for Cornell’s other block. The opening game gave the newcomers their first regular-season experience before Cornell turns to a home assignment and then another road trip this weekend.
Jackson adds experience on the glass after collecting 136 rebounds, or five per game, last season. She shot 46.3% from the field and averaged 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in Ivy League play. Her three double-doubles last season brought her career total to four.
Jackson entered her senior season with 583 career points and 329 rebounds. Cornell’s returning players offer options across scoring, rebounding and passing as the staff works the freshman class into the rotation.
Chen’s outside shooting is another resource. She made 18 of 42 attempts from 3-point range in league games last season, a 42.9% rate. Across the full season, she made 25 3-pointers and shot 34.2% from beyond the arc.
Fredonia begins under new coach
Fredonia is starting a new coaching chapter under Nicole Bullock, who was hired in September after five years at Hilbert. Her teams there made three Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference playoff appearances, including a semifinal trip in 2023.
The Blue Devils went 13-12 overall and 8-10 in conference play last season under Sherri Nowatzki, improving from a 9-15 record the year before. They return 79% of their scoring and have five first-year players on a 19-player roster.
Grace Alexander is among their returning threats after averaging 11.8 points while recording 68 assists, 52 steals and 53 made 3-pointers. Jayssa Snelick averaged 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Jakeira Stackhouse supplied 9.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 22 blocked shots.
Aliyah Hopkins added 7.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Alexys Neckers averaged 8.1 points over eight appearances. The returning group must help replace Payton Gilbert, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field.
Cornell’s next game after Fredonia is Sunday, Nov. 8, at Syracuse. Tipoff at the Dome is scheduled for noon, with streaming coverage on ESPN+ and ACC Network Extra. Thursday gives the Big Red their first home appearance before another Division I road test.
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