Despite a valiant team effort, this past Friday the 13th turned out to be an unlucky day for women’s basketball. The Red battled through four quarters of intense play against Duquesne University; but ultimately, Cornell was forced to watch its established lead fade away in the final minutes. The final result: a 74-69 loss at the hands of the Dukes.

For some people, Friday the 13th signifies a day of bad luck. The Cornell women’s basketball team hopes that the opposite is true. The Red will put superstition aside and tip its season off tonight against the Duquesne Dukes at Newman Arena at 7 p.m. Two days later, the Red will be at it again, this time facing off against the cross-town rival Ithaca Bombers on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Despite a competitive opening to the game, the women’s basketball team lost its season opener and got the year off to a rough start, falling 93-49 against Duquesne in Pittsburgh.

Although the final score might not suggest it, the game began with a fiercely contested back-and-forth battle between the two teams, as Cornell (0-1) showed energy and athleticism on the Dukes’ home court. After opening the first half with a 4-0 lead, Duquesne (2-0) saw it slip away as junior Virginia McMunigal hit a 3-pointer and junior Lauren Benson took a steal the length of the court to put the Red up, 5-4.