Women's Basketball News Releases
Rams even record at 5-5 with two road defeats
Coming up - Wednesday, Jan. 7, Buena Vista (8-3, 1-1), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 10, at Luther (2-9, 1-2), Decorah, 2 p.m.
Ram review - Cornell struggled from the field in a pair of road losses last week, falling 69-38 at Monmouth Dec. 30 and dropping an 80-62 Iowa Conference decision to Central Saturday in Pella.
The Rams moved to 5-5 overall and 0-2 in IIAC play.
"Our focus continues to be the improvement every day on the growth of our program," Cornell head coach Brent Brase said. "The biggest step has been the coming together of the team off the court and this continues to hold true."
Central 80, Cornell 62 (Jan. 3, at Pella)
Senior Tiffany Cowan (Independence, Mo./Truman) notched her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but the Rams could not overcome a 43-24 halftime deficit in a league loss to the Dutch.
Freshman Teresa Cecchetti (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in only 18 minutes of work. Charlotte Milas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) was the third Ram to reach double figures scoring with 11 points.
Freshman Morgan Woods (Milwaukee, Wis./Univ. School of Milwaukee) pitched in eight points and Marissa Johnston (Torrance, Calif./North) added seven points and seven rebounds in a reserve role.
The Rams shot 32.4 percent from the floor, including 2-of-18 from 3-point range. Central (5-7, 1-2) held a 48-44 edge in rebounds.
"Offensively, we just didn't shoot the ball very well and combined with too many turnovers really didn't give us a great chance to pull out a victory," Brase said. "We are really battling injuries and illnesses during this time, but I like how we responded in the second half (outscoring Central 38-37). I thought it was one of our better halves of the season as a team and for both Marissa and Morgan."
Monmouth 69, Cornell 38 (Dec. 30, at Monmouth, Ill.)
The Rams returned to competition after a 16-day layoff and endured a tough shooting game in a nonconference loss to the Fighting Scots (5-3).
Cornell was held to a season-low 24.5 percent shooting, connecting on 13-of-53 field goals. The Rams trailed 33-18 at halftime and never drew closer than 13 points in the second half. Cornell committed 27 turnovers and gave up a 49-31 edge on the boards.
Junior forward Kristin Paczosa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) paced the Rams with 13 points and eight rebounds. Milas and Caitlyn Book (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) chipped in 10 and eight points, respectively. Cowan grabbed eight rebounds and Woods finished with four assists and three steals.
Rams in the rankings - Paczosa remained atop the league in rebounding, averaging 9.1 boards per game. She has collected eight or more rebounds in seven games this season. Paczosa also is fourth in the IIAC in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).
Milas is second in the league in minutes played (34.6 pg) and Woods is fourth in steals (2.2). The Rams lead the IIAC in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 37.1 percent shooting.
