Women's Basketball Weekly Release - Week 12

Complete Women's Basketball Weekly Release in pdf format

Photos courtesy of Cornell and Penn Athletic Communications and Brown Athletics Communications

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The 14-game Tournament is officially underway. Brown, Columbia, Cornell and Yale jumped into the mix with their first Ivy League games of the season, one week after Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn and Princeton saw their first conference action.

Both winning teams scored 68 points as the Bears (7-8, 1-0 Ivy) beat the Bulldogs (5-10, 0-1 Ivy), 68-67, and the Big Red (9-6, 1-0 Ivy) tamed the Lions (2-13, 0-1 Ivy), 68-54.

For Brown, senior Sheila Dixon’s 18th point of the game proved to be the gamewinner, as she hit a free throw with 0.1 seconds remaining to give her team a win in its Ivy opener for the first time since the 2009-10 season, when it defeated Yale, 60-56.

The victory capped a 2-0 week for the Bears, who also took down NJIT, 53-51, also on a last second basket. Sophomore Sophie Bikofsky hit the gamewinning jumper with 3.5 seconds remaining in the contest off an assist from junior Lauren Clarke. Bikofsky finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in the game. Yale had three players score in double-figures, led by sophomore Sarah Halejian, who tallied 14 points

Cornell received a combined 33 points, 21 rebounds and five steals from senior Clare Fitzpatrick and junior Allyson DiMagno en route to its 14-point win over Columbia. The Lions were led by senior Brittany Simmons, who set career-highs in points (18) and steals (eight). Her steals total is also an Ivy League single-game high this season.

The Ivy League went 2-1 in non-conference action last week, including Brown’s win over NJIT. Yale defeated Bryant, 78-65, behind junior Amanda Tyson’s career-high 16 points. Senior Megan Vasquez averaged 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in Yale’s two games last week. Penn fell to a Villanova squad that sits just outside of the Top 25, 48-44, despite 18 points from junior Alyssa Baron.

CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Brown and Cornell each went undefeated on the week and won their Ivy openers, thanks in large part to the play of Lauren Clarke (Colts Neck, N.J.) and Allyson DiMagno (Fairport, N.Y.), respectively.

Clarke averaged 17.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals in the Bears’ two games, including her fourth 20-point effort in their win over Yale, which ties her for the League-lead. Clarke finished with 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals and found Sophie Bikofsky for the gamewinning jumper with 3.5 seconds remaining in Brown’s 53-51 win over NJIT, and then followed that with a game-high 20 points along with one rebound, five assists and one steal in Brown’s 68-67 win over the Bulldogs.

Clarke earns her second career Player of the Week award and her first of 2012-13, as she took home the honor on Jan. 23, 2012. It also marks her third career Ivy League weekly award as she was named Rookie of the Week on Dec. 13, 2010. She is the second Bear to earn Player of the Week this season, joining senior Lindsay Nickel, who received the award on Nov. 12.

Clarke's Statistics for the Week

DiMagno recorded her League-leading seventh double-double in Cornell’s 68-54 victory over Columbia. She continued her torrid rebounding pace, grabbing 15 to move into the top-10 in school history, while scoring 15 points. She shot 7-of-13 from the floor (53.8 percent) and also recorded two steals.

DiMagno scored 11 of her 15 points in the first half, including six during an 8-0 Big Red run that knotted the game at 32 apiece. She earns her second Player of the Week award of the season (Dec. 3).

DiMagno's Statistics for the Week

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Penn fell to Villanova, 48-44, but it was not for lack of effort, especially from freshman Keiera Ray (Aurora, Ill.). Ray filled the box score, posting eight points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and just one turnover in 34 minutes at the point in the Quakers’ tough loss to the Wildcats. Ray shot 4-of-8 from the floor (50.0 percent), including a drive and layup that pulled Penn within two with 27.1 seconds remaining. She takes home her second Rookie of the Week award (Dec. 24).

Ray's Statistics for the Week

Four games on the docket this week, including the final non-conference contest of the 2012-13 season. Penn will host Temple on Wednesday, followed by a trio of League matchups. Yale will travel to face Brown on Friday, followed by Cornell at Columbia at Harvard at Dartmouth on Saturday.

HONOR ROLL
Alyssa Baron, Penn (Jr., G – Miami)
18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 47.1 FG% vs. Villanova

Sophie Bikofsky, Brown (So., G – Newton, Mass.)
10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 42.9 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 100.0 FT% vs. NJIT
11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 100.0 FT% at Yale

Brittany Simmons, Columbia (Sr., G – McIntosh, Ala.)
18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 8 steals, 61.5 FG% at Cornell

Amanda Tyson, Yale (Jr., G – Charlotte, N.C.)
16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 77.8 FG%, 100.0 FT% at Bryant
6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals vs. Brown

Megan Vasquez, Yale (Sr., G – Merrick, N.Y.)
12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 87.5 FT% at Bryant
9 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 50.0 3FG% vs. Brown

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, January 23
Temple at Penn, 7 pm

Friday, January 25
*Yale at Brown, 6 pm

Saturday, January 26
*Cornell at Columbia, 4:30 pm
*Harvard at Dartmouth, 7 pm

KEY
*-Ivy League contest