MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's women's basketball team kept its unblemished Midwest Conference record intact with a 61-55 victory over Monmouth Tuesday night inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
Cornell controlled the game for three quarters and then held off a late charge by Monmouth in the fourth to move to 10-4 overall and 6-0 in the MWC. The Rams are alone atop the league standings, with challengers Lawrence and Ripon both at 5-1.
 
Cornell's 6-0 start in conference play is the program's best since the 2016-17 season, when the Rams won their first 11 games.
 
Leading Cornell in scoring was Reagan Wells, who tied her career high with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The freshman guard also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Erin Knowles chipped in with 16 points and four assists.
 
The Rams led by as many as 25 points late in the third quarter. The Fighting Scots trimmed the margin to 59-55 with 17 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer.
 
Cornell held Monmouth (4-11 overall, 1-5 MWC) to 39.2 percent shooting for the game to continue their dominance on the defensive side.
 
Coming up – The Rams play host to Lawrence (11-4 overall, 5-1 MWC) at 1 p.m. Saturday.