MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's women's basketball team gets a third crack at regular-season co-champion Knox at the Midwest Conference Tournament in Ripon, Wis.
 
Coach Brent Brase's No. 3 seed Rams (10-13) face the Prairie Fire (20-5) in Friday's semifinal at 7 p.m. inside Weiske Gymnasium. Top-seeded host Ripon (19-6) plays No. 4 Illinois College (11-14) in Friday's first semifinal at 5 p.m.
 
The championship game is 3 p.m. Saturday for an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament March 3-4.
 
Fans can follow all three games via live video and live stats.
 
The Rams are back in the MWC field for the eighth time in 11 years. This is Cornell's first appearance since 2020, when the Rams fell to Monmouth in the semifinals.
 
Cornell has reached the championship game five times since 2013, claiming titles in 2018 and 2013.  
 
Knox, which finished 15-1 in MWC play, is fresh off its first regular-season title in program history and has already established a school record for wins. The Prairie Fire swept both previous meetings with Cornell (72-45 on Jan. 11 and 68-53 on Feb. 4).
 
Cornell swept Illinois College in the regular season and lost twice to Ripon.
 
The Rams are among the league's top defensive teams, allowing 59.2 points per game. Cornell leads the MWC in made 3-point goals (163), free throw percentage (75.4) and turnover margin (+4.35).
 
Senior center Madison Wauters heads Cornell's balanced attack, averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. Senior guard Madison Osborn (9.0 ppg) ranks third in the MWC with 46 3-pointers. Junior Kali March has an MWC-best 81 steals, 12 shy of the school record.
 
Ripon earned hosting rights via a coin-flip tiebreaker over Knox. The Red Hawks are the defending MWC Tournament champions and have qualified for the NCAAs six times since 1996.
 
Knox and Illinois College are both seeking their first NCAA berths.