MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's inspired upset bid against first-place Ripon came up a few possessions short in Wednesday's 61-55 Midwest Conference women's basketball loss inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
The visiting Red Hawks (15-7 overall, 12-1 MWC) rallied with an 18-4 fourth quarter and clinched a share of the MWC regular-season championship.
 
Cornell (8-14 overall, 6-7 MWC) slipped into a tie for sixth place in the league race, although remains in the postseason hunt with three games to go.
 
Senior forward Ani'ja Simmons (10 points, 11 rebounds) recorded her second consecutive double-double and fellow senior Rachael Adewusi (13 points, 12 rebounds) notched her first of the season to guide the Rams, who used a 25-point third quarter to take a 51-43 lead into the fourth.
 
The Red Hawks chipped away at the deficit and regained the lead on a free throw at 54-53 with 4:31 remaining. A Simmons putback put Cornell within striking distance, down 58-55 with 1:07 to go. Ripon hung on by hitting 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal it.
 
Ripon made its game-turning run by holding the Rams to 2-of-18 shooting in the fourth quarter. The Red Hawks sank 10-of-11 foul shots in the final period, and held a 19-point advantage from the line for the night.  
 
Adewusi added four steals and two blocked shots to her stellar stat line. Kali March had nine points, four assists and three steals. Mia Murray (seven points), Tenley Cavanagh (six points) and Bradie Buffington (five rebounds) provided key contributions off Cornell's bench.  
 
Cornell recorded 21 made field goals, to Ripon's 17.
 
Coming up – Cornell is home Saturday to face Lawrence (13-10 overall, 7-7 MWC) at 3 p.m. on Senior Day.