Box Score ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked Ithaca College women's basketball team opened its 2014-15 season with a convincing 74-63 victory over William Smith College in Ben Light Gymnasium on Saturday. Ithaca has now won seven straight matchups against William Smith dating back to 2007.
Despite being outrebounded, 52-29, the Bombers forced the Herons into 28 turnovers which led to 30 points for Ithaca. Twenty-one of the turnovers caused by Ithaca were from steals – senior
Samantha Klie and sophomore
Ali Ricchiuti each tallied five, while senior
Ally Mnich had four and classmate
Francesca Cotrupe added three.
The Bombers never trailed in the first half and were tied just once in the opening 20 minutes of action. Mnich scored the team's first points on the season off an assist from Klie in the first minute and then Ricchiuti laid in a basket to put Ithaca ahead, 4-0, just 2:07 into the contest.
William Smith fought back to knot the game up at 6-6, but Ithaca answered with a 10-0 run over the next 2:47 to build its largest lead of the half at 16-6 with 13:07 to play. Ricchiuti notched five of her game-high-tying 22 points during the run on a three-pointer and layup, while Mnich made one from long range and sophomore
Erin Ferguson put in a layup.
The Herons would chip away at the deficit and came to within one at 18-17 with 9:12 left on the clock, but a three-ball from Klie sparked another run for the Bombers – this time 8-2 over a 1:27 span – to put Ithaca back ahead by seven, 26-19, with 7:16 to go.
Ithaca was held scoreless over the next 3:40 of game time, which allowed William Smith to get back to within a point once again, 26-25, at the 3:36 mark. From there, Ithaca responded and closed out the half, outscoring the Herons, 10-6, and took a 36-31 lead into the locker room.
Out of intermission, the Herons came out strong and scored the first six points to take their first lead of the game at 37-36 in just 1:38. The Bombers would end the run to go back on top, but William Smith came right down the floor and hit a three to take what was its final advantage of the contest at 40-38 with 17:26 to go.
Ithaca knotted the game back up at 40-40 with 16:47 left in regulation and would proceed to put the showdown out of reach with a 16-2 run over the next 4:18. The rest of the contest stayed over a 10-point spread with one exception, and the Bombers would eventually go up by as many as 18 points, 72-54, with 3:08 left in the game.
Ricchiuti notched her career-high point total on 8-for-15 shooting, including 2-for-6 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. She also added three rebounds and three assists. Mnich poured in 16 points on seven made field goals to go along with five rebounds, while Cotrupe tallied 10 points with a team-high eight rebounds and three assists.
Junior
Keri Steele scored 11 points off the bench for Ithaca on three makes from long distance to go along with a pair of steals. Klie sunk two shots from three-point range for six points and dished out five assists. Senior
Geena Brady also handed out five assists for the Bombers.
Ithaca shot 28-for-73 (38.4 percent) from the field and assisted on 19 of those baskets. The Bombers also hit nine three-pointers and went 9-for-14 at the line.
Up next for Ithaca will be John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Depending on the decision of that contest, the Bombers will play at either 12 or 4 p.m. the following afternoon.
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