Women beat Dubuque, move to 2-1 in IIAC

Freshman guard Rikki Mulloy weathered a tough shooting night and sank a clutch jumper in the final minute as Cornell held off Dubuque for a 54-47 Iowa Conference victory Wednesday night at the Small Multi-Sport Center.

The Rams (4-3 overall) locked down defensively, limiting Dubuque to just four first-half field goals and 24.1 percent shooting for the game. Cornell, which beat Central in overtime Saturday, carries a 2-1 IIAC record into the holiday break. Conference play resumes Jan. 4 at Buena Vista.

"We are playing well defensively, but not well enough offensively to put teams away," Cornell head coach Brent Brase said. "This is a combination of too many turnovers and just starting to understand how to be a good motion team. The next three weeks will be an important time for us to make huge strides as an offensive team before we face our next conference opponent."

Mulloy delivered her second field goal of the game after Dubuque (2-4, 0-2 IIAC) sliced an eight-point deficit to 49-47 with 1:15 remaining. The teams traded empty possessions, and then Mulloy drained an 18-point jumper with the shot clock running down that put the Rams in front 51-47 with 27 seconds to go.

Cornell sealed the win with two defensive stands and three free throws in the closing seconds. Kathryn Schilling knocked in a pair of free throws to provide the final margin of victory, capping off a 13-point performance to lead Cornell's scorers. Schilling hit a pair of 3-pointers and came up with five of the team's 13 steals.

Mulloy went 6-of-6 from the foul line and finished with 10 points. Camille Marie-Lidd tallied nine points and nine rebounds. Freshman Taylor Dicus came off the bench to collect seven points and eight rebounds. Mulloy and Chelsea Harris had three assists apiece.

The Rams owned a 10-point advantage from the free throw line, connecting on 26-of-32 attempts. Cornell also held a 41-34 edge on the boards.

Cornell led 17-14 at halftime in holding the Spartans to 16.7 percent shooting. The Rams overcame a 12-of-44 night (12-of-44) from the field. Cornell outscored the guests in bench points, 20-3.

Rams in the rankings - Cornell raised its season free throw percentage to 72.0, ranking second in the conference. Mulloy is shooting an IIAC-best 83.9 percent (26-of-31) from the line.

The Rams have held each of their last three conference foes under 38 percent shooting. Cornell leads the IIAC in field goal percentage defense (32.0), 3-point percentage defense (24.8), rebounds (46.0 rpg) and rebound margin (+7.4).