APPLETON, Wis. – Sophomore Karli Artman netted a career-high 21 points as Cornell clinched a Midwest Conference Tournament berth with Saturday's 72-60 women's basketball win over Lawrence inside Alexander Gym.
 
Cornell's first MWC road win in two months, coupled with Monmouth's loss at Ripon Saturday, has the Rams headed back to the postseason tournament for the ninth time since 2012.
 
The Rams (9-12 overall, 8-6 MWC) stand third in the MWC race with two games left in the regular season. They will be the No. 3 or 4 seed in the four-team MWC Tournament Feb. 24-25.
 
Artman matched her previous-best points total of 12 by halftime against the Vikings (7-17 overall, 3-12 MWC). The 5-foot-4 guard shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the foul line and drained three 3-pointers in an impressive fourth start of the season.
 
The Rams had three other scorers join Artman in double figures with Madison Osborn (11 points), Madison Wauters (10 points) and Mia Murray (10 points). Osborn hit three 3-pointers and dished three assists.
 
Wauters and Murray shared team-high honors with seven rebounds apiece. Junior forward Rachael Adewusi, sidelined to injury since Dec. 3, provided a boost in her long-awaited return with five rebounds and four points in 15 minutes of action.
 
The Rams topped the 70-point mark for the fifth time this season in a game they led for more than 34 minutes. Cornell broke it open with a 9-0 spurt to start the second half. The Rams outscored Lawrence in the pivotal third quarter, 19-6.
 
Coming up – The Rams play host to Monmouth (10-14 overall, 6-9 MWC) on Senior Night in Tuesday's home finale inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m.