MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's women's basketball team put the clamps on the Midwest Conference's top scoring offense down the stretch Wednesday night and secured a pivotal 64-57 win over Illinois College in a battle between postseason contenders inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
The Rams (10-5 overall, 4-3 MWC) reeled off their seventh victory in the last eight games and climbed to fourth place in the league race. Illinois College (8-9) fell behind the Rams at 4-4 in MWC play.
 
Following the series trend of recent tight games with the Lady Blues, Cornell clung to a 53-52 lead with less than three minutes to go. The Rams took over from there with a 9-0 spurt, which included a key 3-pointer and two free throws by junior Heidi Jorgensen – her five points in the contest.
 
Cornell, which trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, outscored the Lady Blues by a 24-15 margin in the fourth quarter. Illinois College was held to 34.4-percent shooting and 18 points under its season scoring average.  
 
Sophomore Erin Knowles paced the Rams with 18 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-1 forward topped the 800-point mark in only her 40th collegiate game.  
 
She was joined in double figures scoring by Caroline Kron with 12 points and Kallynn Stroup with 10. Stroup added six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals to her strong stat line.    
 
The Rams finished off the Lady Blues behind 10-of-14 shooting from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Illinois College, the top 3-point shooting team in the MWC, was limited to five 3-pointers on 24 attempts on the night.
 
Cornell beat the Lady Blues for the sixth time in the last seven series meetings.
 
Coming up – Cornell visits Beloit (5-12 overall, 2-6 MWC) Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup in Beloit, Wis.