ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca Bombers (22-6) lost 62-53 to the visiting DeSales Bulldogs (19-9) Friday in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The Bulldogs advance to play Williams Saturday at 7 p.m. in the regional final.

DeSales held off a late Bomber charge, scoring the game's last eight points – all from the free-throw line. Junior guard Lori Lidlow (Toms River North/Toms River, N.J.), who led DeSales with 20 points, made four of the free throws. Lidlow scored 14 points in the first half as the Bulldogs took an 11-point lead into the locker room. Ithaca's second-half rally featured nine points from senior point guard Katherine Bixby (Germantown Friends/Philadelphia, Pa.) as the Bombers used a 14-4 run to pull within three points (52-49 with 4:20 to go). Bixby's three-point basket that cut the DeSales lead to three was Ithaca's final basket. She made two free throws after sophomore forward Cherelle Simmons (JP McCaskey/Lancaster, Pa.) hit a jumper for DeSales and neither team made another basket.

Lidlow added three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senor guard Kelly Magrann (Holy Name/Sinking Spring, Pa.) scored 11 points and Simmons – who pulled down a team-leading 10 rebounds – and freshman center Jessica Hoover (Emmaus/Emmaus, Pa.) both scored 10 points off the Bulldog bench.

Junior forward Elissa Klie (Ramapo/Wyckoff, N.J.) added 10 points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals for Ithaca. Junior guard Jordan Confessore (South Brunswick/Kendall Park, N.J.) contributed nine points.