ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca women's basketball team (14-4, 9-0 E8) improved its unbeaten record in league play to 9-0 following a 62-42 victory over visiting St. John Fisher (9-7, 4-4 E8) Friday night at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers closed the game on a 25-8 run, and allowed the Cardinals to score just 13 points in the final 15 minutes of play.
The Bombers had three players score in double figures in a balanced scoring attack. Senior guards Katherine Bixby (Germantown Friends/Philadelphia, Pa.) and Lindsay Brown (Immaculate/Danbury, Conn.) paced the Bombers in the first half with nine points, including two 3-pointers apiece. Bixby finished with 15 points and four assists, while Brown added 13 points and eight rebounds.
With a one point advantage at the half, Ithaca relied on a strong frontcourt performance fueled by junior forward Elissa Klie (Ramapo/Wyckoff, N.J.) to outscore the Cardinals 39-20 in the second half. Klie scored 14 second half points, including two layups and a successful conversion on a three-point play in a span of 58 seconds, to complement another double-digit rebound effort for her third double-double of the season.
Down by one in the early minutes of the second half, freshman forward Devin Shea (St. Basil Academy/Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) made a jumper to put the Bombers ahead by one, a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the contest.The basket by Shea started an 8-0 Bomber run for a 37-30 advantage. The Cardinals answered with a jumper and two made free-throws as the lead dwindled to three. However, Ithaca managed to hold St. John Fisher scoreless for nearly four minutes which allowed the Bombers to start a 7-0 run, which turned into a 17-2 run that lasted until 5:17 remained in the game.
Ithaca held the Cardinals to a season-low 42 points on 28% shooting from the floor. The Bombers outrebounded St. John Fisher 50-37, improving to 10-1 on the season when they outrebound their opponents. Sophomore guard Jessica Farley (Pine Valley Central/South Dayton) contributed to the team's rebounding advantage, matching a career-best six rebounds.
The Bombers will face league opponent Rochester Institute of Technology on January 31 for a noon contest.
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