Experience a plus for 2011-12 Rams

The Cornell women's basketball team is picked to finish seventh in the Iowa Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Rams appear poised to surpass those expectations under head coach Brent Brase, who fields one of his most experienced teams in seven seasons on the Hilltop. Cornell, seeking its first postseason appearance since 2006, will call upon eight upperclassmen and four returning starters to lead the way.

"Our team continues to work hard on and off the court," Brase said. "We are really looking forward to the competition the Iowa Conference provides from top to bottom."

A schedule heavy with home dates before Christmas could help the Rams get off on the right track. Cornell tips off the new campaign Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Knox at the Small Multi-Sport Center.

The Rams host the four-team Cornell Classic this coming weekend, with contests scheduled against Aurora at 6 p.m. Friday, and Carroll at 2 p.m. Saturday. Seven of the team's first nine games are in Mount Vernon.

Cornell looks to improve on last year's 7-16 overall finish. The Rams tied for eighth in the IIAC with a 2-14 mark.

The Rams have key pieces in place to make a jump, led by two-time second team all-conference performer Camille Marie-Lidd. The 6-foot-2 junior center averaged an IIAC-best 8.6 rebounds per game last season. Marie-Lidd finished second in the league in scoring (15.7 ppg) and third in field goal percentage (48.6).

Marie-Lidd enters the season eighth on Cornell's career scoring list with 794 points. She stands third in career blocks (72) and fourth in free throws made (220). Marie-Lidd has a chance to break all three records with another big campaign.

Cornell welcomes back five multi-year letterwinners in seniors Morgan Woods, Teresa Cecchetti and Rose Waskosky, junior Kathryn Schilling and Marie-Lidd. Woods and Schilling bring back 44 combined starts from 2010-11 to the guard court. Sophomore guard Caitlin Bisinger was also a regular in the lineup, starting 16 games a season ago.

Schilling is coming off a solid sophomore season in which she led the IIAC with 2.77 steals per game. She ranks among the program's career leaders with 99 steals. Schilling averaged 7.7 points and dished out a team-best 47 assists.

Woods, a three-year letterwinner, provides leadership at point guard. She averaged 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 points. Woods has started 61 of 71 games played over the past three seasons.

Bisinger adds a scoring threat on the perimeter, netting 12.2 points a game during an impressive rookie season. Bisinger canned 47 3-point goals and shot 39.5 percent from long range, ranking in the top five on Cornell's single-season list in both categories. She also totaled 40 assists and 34 steals.

Cecchetti will give the Rams a boost after missing the last 1 1/2 seasons to injuries. She averaged 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in her only full season, as a freshman in 2008-09. Waskosky played in 19 games last season and shot 83.3 percent from the foul line.

Senior post Kelly Tweito and sophomore guard Chelsea Harris earned varsity letters a year ago. The 6-2 Tweito collected 59 rebounds in 23 games. Harris averaged 4.0 points and made 24 3-point goals.

Brase has nine newcomers in the program, including seven freshmen. The group is led by 5-10 forward Leonie de Jonge, a junior transfer from Luxembourg, and 6-2 freshman Taylor Dicus, a Mount Vernon High School graduate fresh off a record-setting volleyball season.

This is Cornell's 15th and final season as a member of the IIAC. The Rams begin conference play Nov. 30 at four-time defending IIAC champion Simpson, the preseason favorite to extend its title streak.

Cornell then enters a four-game home stretch with IIAC contests against Central (Dec. 3) and Dubuque (Dec. 7), followed by nonconference dates with Culver-Stockton (Dec. 14) and Augsburg (Dec. 19).