MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - Beloit's women's basketball team proved that it can compete with the best teams in the Midwest Conference Saturday afternoon, taking a two-point lead into halftime against conference-leading Cornell College, before faltering in the second half, which allowed Cornell to win the game by a score of 71-51. 

Beloit's defense held Cornell to just 21 percent (3-14) shooting in the opening quarter, while the Buccaneers converted 31 percent (5-16) of their shots in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer by Oceanna Estrada to give Beloit a three-point lead heading into the second quarter. In a first half that featured six ties and nine lead changes, Cornell took a six-point lead mid-way through the period. That didn't faze the Buccaneers, which ended the half on a 13-5 run, including a jumper by T'Aira Boyance in the final seconds to give Beloit a 31-29 halftime lead.

This game was a tale of two halves, with Cornell shooting 50 percent (14-28) from the field after halftime, including 39 percent (5-13) from 3-point range, while Beloit made 22 percent (6-27) of their second half shots. Cornell's Megan Gandrup sank a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third quarter to give the Rams the lead for good, and they would never look back, outscoring Beloit 26-11 in the third quarter to take control of the game.

Boyance led the Buccaneers (4-6, 1-3 MWC) with 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half, while Marlee Young finished the day with 10 points and seven rebounds. Addyson Ciochon added nine points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Cornell's Madison Wauters led all scorers with 16 points, to go along with four rebounds. Ani'ja Simmons added 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, which Gandrup also scored 12 points, in addition to seven rebounds. Kali March chipped in with 10 points and six assists for the Rams (5-4, 4-0 MWC).

Beloit will be in action again on Saturday, December 17 when they'll travel to Illinois Tech. That game will begin at 4 p.m. in Chicago, Ill.