Women's Basketball News Releases
Rams take 4-1 mark into league opener against No. 14 Simpson
Coming up - Saturday, Dec. 6, No. 14 Simpson, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 2 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 11, No. 1 UW-Whitewater, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6:30 p.m.
Ram review - Cornell ran its record to 4-0 with a 44-33 victory over Augustana Nov. 25 in Mount Vernon. The Rams' winning streak ended Monday night in a 74-58 setback to Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids.
The 4-1 Rams sport their best mark to start a season since opening the 1999-2000 campaign at 5-1.
Freshman forward Teresa Cecchetti (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals while shooting 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field in the two games. She paced the Rams with 21 points, seven rebounds and five steals in the Mount Mercy contest.
The Rams fell behind 42-20 at halftime to Mount Mercy (5-3), which built the big early lead behind 60.7 percent shooting in the first half. Cornell faced a 30-point deficit with 13 minutes left to play before finishing the game with a 29-15 spurt.
"We played less aggressive than Mount Mercy did both offensively and defensively," Cornell head coach Brent Brase said. "Only during the last eight minutes did we become more aggressive on both ends. We need to learn from this and come back and reapply ourselves in practice."
Junior Kristin Paczosa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) joined Cecchetti in double figures scoring with 11 points. Tiffany Cowan (Independence, Mo./Truman) added eight points and six rebounds off the bench. Morgan Woods (Milwaukee, Wis./University School of Milwaukee) had seven points.
Mount Mercy outrebounded the Rams, 40-35, and shot 48.1 percent for the game, including 10-of-21 from 3-point range. The Mustangs cracked through Cornell's defense, which held its first four opponents to 27.3 percent shooting.
The Rams turned in a stifling defensive effort in the win over Augustana (1-4). Cornell limited the Vikings to 22.9 percent shooting (11-of-48) and won the turnover battle, 18-8.
"I thought the Augustana game was a very solid win for us considering we didn't shoot the ball very well from the perimeter," Brase said. "We played well enough defensively where we made them try to score over us. The real key to the game was that we only committed eight turnovers, which is an excellent number. Both Tiffany and Teresa made big plays offensively down the stretch to keep the lead at a comfortable margin."
Cowan led all players with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting and also collected a game-high five steals. Cecchetti had another strong all-around game with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Paczosa came off the bench to coral a game-high nine rebounds.
The Rams took a 22-17 lead into intermission and then pulled away with a 9-0 run midway through the second half. Cornell prevailed despite shooting 32.7 percent, including 1-of-19 from long range. Augustana held a 42-37 edge on the boards.
Rates foes ahead - The Rams face a challenging stretch against two opponents ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Cornell opens Iowa Conference play at home Saturday against 14th-ranked Simpson, which claimed last year's league crown with a 15-1 mark.
The Rams then host top-ranked and undefeated UW-Whitewater Dec. 11. The Warhawks finished third in the NCAA Division III Tournament last season.
Rams in the rankings - Cornell leads the IIAC in scoring defense (52.2 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (31.5) and ranks second in blocked shots (4.4 bpg).
Paczosa is second in the league in blocked shots (1.6 bpg) and third in rebounds (8.0 rpg). Cecchetti ranks second in steals (2.4 spg).
Cowan climbs career charts - Cowan moved into second place on Cornell's career steals list with 154. She passed Lindsey Pfalmer (151) after collecting five steals against Augustana.
Cowan needs one 3-point goal to reach 100 made for her career. She is 15 made 3-pointers shy of Bindy Comito's all-time school record.
