Feb. 10, 2007

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NEW HAVEN, Conn.--Erica Davis finished one block shy of the first triple-double in school history. Instead, she settled for her eighth double-double of the season, posting 25 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record nine blocks, as Yale (11-11, 4-4 Ivy) snapped its three-game losing streak with a 61-45 victory over Cornell (9-12, 5-3 Ivy) Saturday night at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

"When she plays well, Erica is capable of dominating a game like that," Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach Chris Gobrecht said.

The first half started off slowly, as each team struggled to find a rhythm. Cornell eventually built a 14-10 lead on Jeomi Maduka's jumper with 8:33 remaining in the half. Three consecutive Davis layups put Yale in front, 16-14. The lead reached five at 19-14 before Allie Fedorowicz drained a three to pull the Big Red within two. After two Shannan Scarselletta free throws made it 21-19 with 5:05 left, the Bulldogs ended the half on an 8-2 run and headed into the locker room leading 29-21.

Yale was outrebounding Cornell 22-8 at halftime, including a 7-0 edge on the offensive glass.

The Bulldogs continued to force the tempo in the second half, and the lead was never seriously challenged. The closest Cornell got was within six early in the period. The advantage reached a game-high 19 points when a pair of Stephanie Marciano foul shots made it 59-40 with 1:57 left. After the teams traded baskets, Cornell scored the final three points of the game to make the final margin 61-45.

"The best part was that we played Yale basketball," Gobrecht said. "We pushed the tempo and got aggressive on defense."

Melissa Colborne was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 12 points. Marciano added eight points, five assists and four steals. Sara McCollum, making her fifth start of the season, tallied six points and a season-high nine boards. Chinenye Okafor, playing with a broken toe, had two points, two rebounds and a career-high six assists in 13 minutes. The Bulldogs shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field and 30 percent (3-of-10) from three-point land in the victory. Yale shot 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the free throw line.

Fedorowicz was the only Cornell player in double figures with 10 points. Maduka, the Big Red's leading scorer and rebounder, tallied nine points and eight boards. Lauren Benson added six points and four assists for the Big Red. As a team, Cornell shot 26 percent (13-of-50) from the field, including 20 percent (6-of-30) in the second half. The Big Red shot 20 percent (2-of-10) from behind the arc and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs allowed a season-low 45 points and held a 41-32 rebounding edge.

Yale now hits the road for its next four games. The Bulldogs visit Dartmouth next Friday at 7 p.m. and first-place Harvard next Saturday at 6 p.m. Yale defeated both the Big Green and Crimson in New Haven earlier this season. Yale beat Dartmouth 63-56 after handing Harvard its only Ivy defeat so far, 61-53, the night before.

NOTES: Davis is averaging 24 points and 12.5 rebounds over her last four games...She now has 53 blocks this season, two shy of her single-season school record of 55...Davis broke her own school record of seven blocks in a game, set Nov. 25 against Sacred Heart...Cornell scored the fewest points for a Yale opponent since Delaware State scored 45 on Jan. 12, 2005...Yale has won its last four home games against Cornell and taken five of the last six matchups overall with the Big Red...The Bulldogs used their seventh different starting lineup this season, with McCollum returning to the starting five for the first time in 17 games.

Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity

Video Highlights:

• Okafor, playing on a broken toe, hits the jumper to cut Cornell's early lead to 12-10
• Davis makes four consecutive lay-ups to make it 21-17 Yale
• Van Horne hits a three-pointer to make it 26-19
• Marciano hits a jumper
• Davis makes a great pass to McCollum, who scores to make it 33-23
• Colborne's three-pointer makes it 39-29 Yale
• Davis blocks four consecutive shots taken on her
• Okafor steals it and Colborne finishes off the play with the lay-up to put Yale up 51-38