Quakers Fall to Cornell, 64-51, in Ithaca

Courtesy: Brady Smith, Associate Director of Athletic Communications

Release: 01/13/2006


ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell's Claire Perry netted 22 points to lead the
Big Red past the Penn women's basketball team, 64-51, Friday evening
at Newman Arena.

The loss spoiled a big night for senior center Jennifer Fleischer, who
tied a career-high with 21 rebounds and added eight points for the
Quakers. Fleischer grabbed 21 boards against Cornell on Feb. 12 of last
year to set her career-best, which is also tied for the second-highest
game total in Penn history.

With her first rebound, Fleischer also became just the sixth Quaker in
school history to grab 700 boards for her career.

Both teams came out sluggish in the first half, combining for just 36
points at the three-minute mark while each shooting under 35 percent
from the field. The Quakers (2-11, 0-2 Ivy) held several leads throughout
the half, but Cornell stayed close and put together a 7-1 run in the last
three minutes to close out the first half with a six-point advantage.

In the second half, the Big Red (4-10, 1-0 Ivy) increased their lead to as
much as 16, but the Quakers fought back to close the gap to six points.
Freshman Carrie Biemer was a big factor for Penn, as she went 5-of-8 from
the field and scored all of her 12 points in the second stanza.

Cornell would not waiver down the stretch, though, and sealed the win by
nailing 8-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes of the contest.

Ashley Gray and Biemer paced Penn with 12 points each, while Joey Rhoads
added 11 points and three assists.

Perry was the Big Red's top shooter, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the field
for a game-high 22 points, while Lindsay Krasna added 18 points for Cornell.

The Quakers stay on the road to face Ivy League foe Columbia on Saturday,
Jan. 14, in New York, N.Y. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.