Athletics - Women's Basketball

Coming up — Wednesday, Jan. 16, Wartburg (10-3, 3-2), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 19, at Buena Vista (8-6, 2-3), Storm Lake, 2 p.m.

Ram review – Cornell (5-7 overall, 0-4 Iowa Conference) finished a grueling week against the league’s top two teams with a tough 70-68 loss at Loras Jan. 12 in Dubuque. The Rams fell 71-40 to 10th-ranked and IIAC unbeaten Simpson Jan. 9 in Mount Vernon.

Loras 70, Cornell 68 (Jan. 12, at Dubuque)
Freshman forward Alicia West (Plymouth, Wis./Plymouth) poured in a career-high 22 points as the Rams gave the Duhawks a 40-minute scare, but came up a bucket short in an valiant upset bid on the road.

“I thought this was a great step in the right direction for our program,” Cornell head coach Brent Brase said. “This was the first time in the last three years where we went on the road and really had a legitimate chance to defeat a top team in the conference at their place.”

The Rams trailed 27-26 at halftime in a game that featured seven lead changes and three ties. A layup by Brianna Wallace (Eldridge/North Scott) pulled Cornell to within 68-66 with 16 seconds remaining in regulation. Loras built the lead back to four points with a pair of free throws three seconds later. Wallace provided the final points on a layup just before time expired.

West carried the offensive load for the Rams, hitting 8-of-13 field goals and going 5-of-5 from the line. Tiffany Cowan (Independence, Mo./Truman) finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Charlotte Milas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) added eight points and four rebounds.

Loras held a 43-25 advantage on the boards and made 17-of-19 free throws. The Rams stayed in the game by committing only eight turnovers while forcing the Duhawks into 23 miscues.

“We had an opportunity against a good Loras squad, but didn’t get the stops we needed down the stretch,” Brase said. “We took care of the ball with only eight turnovers, which is what we need to do to be successful. Alicia West played very well on the offensive end and was very difficult to guard.”

No. 10 Simpson 71, Cornell 40 (Jan. 9, at Mount Vernon)
Nationally-ranked Simpson (12-1, 4-0) pulled away from the Rams early with an 18-2 run and built a 40-15 lead at halftime to stay perfect in league play.

The Rams, held to their lowest point total of the season, struggled against Simpson’s full-court pressure, committing 30 turnovers and shooting just 25.5 percent (12-of-47) from the field. The Storm hit 30-of-56 field goals (53.6 percent) and led by as many 39 points in the second half. Simpson scored 39 points off turnovers and outscored the Rams 36-6 in the paint.

“Simpson has a great team,” Brase said. “We didn’t do a good job attacking their length and size. To have a chance to compete against them you can’t turn the ball over and we did just that.”

Cowan paced the Rams with seven points and 11 rebounds. Kristin Paczosa (Arlington Heights, Ill./ Buffalo Grove) also had seven points.

Taking care of turnovers – Despite their 0-4 start in the IIAC, the Rams are one of the league’s best statistically in taking care of the ball. Cornell ranks second in turnover margin at 5.25. The Rams average 17.4 turnovers per game while pressuring opponents into 22.7.

IIAC rankings – West, the Rams’ leading scorer at 11.3 points per game, ranks second in the league in 3-point percentage (52.9) and seventh in field goal percentage (50.5). Wallace is fifth in steals (2.17 spg). Cowan stands seventh in rebounds (6.7 rpg) and offensive rebounds (2.25).