Union stayed within striking distance for the first half, but a 14-6 deficit in the third quarter doomed its chances at a Section 1-A upset.

Union (2-8, 3-15) trailed 22-14 entering the second half, but Cornell’s guards took over in the final two quarters in a 50-32 victory last night.

“We struggled at the beginning of the second half,” Lady Scots coach Larry Ondako said. “We were making some really bad decisions. We had four straight turnovers to start the second half and that turned an eight-point deficit into 16 points.

“We made some adjustments to slow down their inside players. They only had five points in the second half, but their outside players started to pick it up.”

Cornell (6-4, 11-8) beat Union 58-6 in the teams’ first meeting.

“Cornell played really well,” Ondako said. “The last time we played, they nearly shut us out. This time, they had to play. Honestly, we are getting better. Over our last three games, we’ve went from 20 to 29 to 32, but we have such a hill to climb that it’s not going to result in many wins.”

Sophomore Skylar Thompson reached double digits for the second game in a row, finishing with a team-high 14 points.

“She’s being more aggressive,” Ondako said. “She’s only a sophomore and she really didn’t play much last year. Now, she’s expected to play all 32 minutes. She’s definitely improving.”