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ITHACA, N.Y. — Senior Kaya Ingram came in as the closer for the Cornell Big Red Women’s Basketball team, netting ten points in the fourth quarter as part of a new career-high 20 to help take down the Marist Red Foxes 74-61 on Thursday afternoon from Newman Arena. The Big Red improved to 6-5, while the Red Foxes fell to 2-10. 

Ingram was not the only Big Red athlete in double-figures, as Azareya Kilgoe scored 12 points and dished out a team-high four assists, while Emily Pape had her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Pape also had a career-high six steals in the Big Red’s first victory over its New York foe since a 76-61 decision in Ithaca on Nov. 25, 1991. 

Catie Cunningham had a career-high 18 points alongside six rebounds in the loss for the Red Foxes, who only held the lead for only 33 seconds.  

First Quarter

• The Big Red started out of the gates on a hot streak, going on a 15-0 run to start the game, including five points from senior captain Mia Beam while also holding the Red Foxes scoreless for 4:42 and 0-6 from the field. Marist would finally break its scoring drought on a three-pointer by Catie Cunningham to make the score 15-3. 
• Despite the opening run, the Big Red and the Red Foxes traded buckets back and forth after the Cunningham three, as Emily Pape, Kaya Ingram, Kiara Fisher, and Ciara Croker earned buckets to shift the lead for Cornell down to 12.
• The dueling between New York foes swung in favor of the visitors over the final 0:57 of the first, as the Red Foxes put together a 4-0 run to cut Cornell’s lead to 19-11 after the opening ten minutes.

Second Quarter

• The opening 2:05 saw the momentum continue to fall in the Foxes’ favor, as a 5-2 run cut Cornell’s lead down to five. Summer Parker-Hall grabbed the momentum back for the Big Red, netting two free throws to become the final Cornell starter to get on the score sheet, stretching the lead back up to seven.
• Marist would not go away as two Ciara Croker free throws sparked a 5-0 run, cutting the Big Red’s lead to lowest it had been since 9:23 to go in the opening quarter.
• Freshman Rachel Kaus would have other plans, putting the Big Red offense on her back and knifing through the Red Foxes defense for seven consecutive points to shift the Big Red’s lead back up to nine. Cornell’s defense also clamped down again, holding the Red Foxes scoreless for over three minutes for the second time in the half.
• The scoring run sparked a stalemate for the red and white, as it went 0-4 over the next minute and change. Clarke Jackson eventually broke the donut for the Big Red with her first bucket of the game to keep the lead at eight.
• Vivienne Knee had the last bucket of the second stanza for the red and white, becoming the eighth Big Red athlete to register points with a three-pointer. Marist had the final points of the quarter with two from the free throw line to make the score 37-30 after 20 minutes of action.

Third Quarter

• The Big Red had the opening points of the third quarter, as Pape became the first Big Red athlete in double figures with a nifty layup off a pass by Parker-Hall to give Cornell a nine-point advantage. Marist matched Pape’s with back-to-back buckets by Morgan Lee and Kiara Fisher to cut Cornell’s lead back down to five. 
• But after the back-to-back buckets, the Red Foxes finally had a run of its own, putting together a 9-4 split with four coming from Julia Corsentino to tie things up at 43. Cornell took the lead back twice over a one-minute span thanks to a layup by Ingram and a successful free throw by Pape.
• Marist continued to lay the pressure on and eventually took its first lead of the game a possession later, as Kiara Fisher found Jackie Piddock alone for a three-pointer to give the red and black a 48-46 lead with 0:33 to go. 
• Cornell had the last laugh of the quarter as Clarke Jackson shook two Red Fox defenders and knocked down a running floater deep in the paint before the buzzer sounded, tying things up at 48 with the fourth quarter on the horizon. 

Fourth Quarter

• Cornell broke the tie on its first possession of the fourth as Ingram slid past two Red Fox defenders and knocked down a tough layup while absorbing the contact. Ingram would add the free throw a second later to give Cornell a 53-50 lead.
• But after a Marist bucket cut the deficit back down to a single point, Cornell’s offense turned it up a notch, as a Parker-Hall layup sparked a 9-0 run, with the junior having five of those nine points to stretch its lead back to double digits at 60-50. 
• The Red Foxes tried to cut its deficit down on buckets by Piddock and Cunningham to cut the deficit down to nine. That was the closest the visitors got, as Kilgoe and Ingram combined for seven consecutive free throws on seven attempts to send the Big Red faithful into the holiday break on a high note with a 74-61 victory.

Big Red Notables

• Kaya Ingram’s 20 points make it the seventh time this season that the Albuquerque, N.M. native has hit double figures this season. 
• Pape’s six steals are the highest a Big Red women’s basketball athlete has had in a game so far this season. Her 10 points and 13 rebounds are also the first time she has recorded a double-double this season. 
• It is also the sixth time this year the Big Red has won the rebound battle. Cornell is now 4-2 in those instances. It also marks the 10th time Cornell has grabbed 30 or more boards in 2023.

Up Next

The Big Red will head off on its winter break before returning to Newman Arena for its final non-conference game of 2023 when it hosts Stony Brook on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 1:00 p.m.