Marie-Lidd posts 20 points, 22 rebounds in season finale at Simpson

Camille Marie-Lidd (Marion/Cedar Rapids Washington) put up a monster double-double and Cornell had Iowa Conference co-champion Simpson in a two-possession game down the stretch before falling 80-64 in Saturday's regular-season finale in Indianola.

The Rams dropped a 72-67 home decision to IIAC-Tournament bound Loras Wednesday, a game in which Cornell led by as many as eight points in the second half.

“I thought we played well against two very talented teams in Loras and Simpson,” said Cornell head coach Brent Brase, whose team finished the campaign 7-16 overall, 2-14 in conference play. “We hung tough with Simpson and actually had a chance to close the gap to four points a couple times down the stretch. Camille had a very impressive game against Simpson and really kept us within striking distance.”

Marie-Lidd chalked up her 11th career double-double with gaudy figures of 20 points and 22 rebounds against a strong Simpson frontcourt. The sophomore center hit 7-of-10 field goals and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds. Marie-Lidd was one rebound shy of the single-game school record of 23 caroms, set by Sheryl Gatewood against Monmouth in 1983.

The Rams pulled to within 56-50 when Amanda Proczak (Storm Lake/Storm Lake) converted a layup with 9:07 remaining. Simpson (20-5, 14-2 IIAC) answered with six straight points and the Rams never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

Cornell held a decisive 47-36 advantage on the boards and made 20-of-23 foul shots to keep it close. Bisinger finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Renee Tzeo (Portland, Ore./Reynolds) added nine points and five assists. Chelsea Harris (Overland Park, Kan./Olathe East) chipped in eight points and five steals off the bench.

Bisinger turned in a fine all-around game against Loras with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds. The freshman guard drained six 3-point goals – one shy of match the school record – and finished 7-of-11 shooting from the field.

The Rams made a season-high 11 3-point shots, getting two triples apiece from Taylor Tvede (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva) and Kathryn Schilling (Dubuque/Dubuque Senior). Tvede had a solid game with 10 points and eight rebounds. Marie-Lidd had 11 points and Schilling nine.

Tzeo's conventional 3-point play gave the Rams a 48-40 cushion with 14:49 remaining. Loras (13-11, 9-6 IIAC) came back with an 11-1 run to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Duhawks won the battle on the boards, 44-33.

Cornell played its best ball of the season in the final month. Five of the team's last seven games were decided in single digits.

“We played a lot of close games down the stretch, but didn't capitalize in the final two or three minutes of these games and that is the difference between winning and losing,” Brase said. “These are valuable experiences that all of our kids gained and I know our young team will benefit and grow from it in the future.”

Rams in the rankings – Marie-Lidd closed the regular season as the IIAC leader in scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). She ranked third in field goal percentage (48.6) and fifth in blocked shots (1.48 bpg).

Marie-Lidd's 361 points were the fourth-highest total in a season at Cornell. She stands eighth on the career scoring list with 794 points.

Schilling claimed the IIAC steals title, averaging 2.77 per game. Bisinger finished third in free throw percentage (82.4) and 3-point goals made (2.35 pg) and was fifth in 3-point percentage (39.5). Bisinger's 47 made 3-point goals rank fifth on Cornell's single-season list.

Cornell led the conference with 4.17 blocks per game.

A look ahead – The Rams will bring back an experienced squad in 2011-12 with only one senior gone to graduation in Alicia West (Waupun, Wis./Plymouth). Cornell returns all five starters. The team's top seven scorers this season were underclassmen.

“I'm really excited about the culture within the program,” Brase said. “The team is very close on and off the court. They are excited to continue to work and improve during the offseason.”