Box Score

Utica, N.Y. -- The Ithaca College women's basketball team (21-4, 13-1 Empire 8) clinched the Empire 8 regular-season title with a 46-40 win at Utica Saturday. The Bombers, who finished alone atop the league standings, will be the host and top seed for the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Ithaca will face fourth-seeded St. John Fisher at 6 p.m. in Friday's first semifinal with second-seeded Hartwick taking on third-seeded Stevens at 8 p.m. in the other. The semifinal winners will play in at 3 p.m. Saturday in the conference final with the Empire 8's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs at stake.

Senior guard Jess Farley scored a team-high 16 points and sophomore forward Jenn Escobido notched her third consecutive double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) as the Bombers won their 21st game -- tying the 2002 and 2004 teams for the program's highest regular-season victory total.

Ithaca rallied from a six-point deficit late in the first half and took the lead for good with 2:35 left to go, breaking the seventh tie of the game. The Bomber defense turned in its usual stellar effort, holding Utica to one basket in the final 6:19. The Pioneers missed five shots from the floor, went one-for-five and turned the ball over four times in that span; they were one of a school-record 11 opponents that Ithaca held to 50 points or fewer.

Utica's final bucket of the game, a three-pointer with 2:54 to go, tied the score at 40. Escobido converted a pair of free throws 19 seconds later, then assisted on a lay-up by junior center Devin Shea to give the Bombers a four-point lead.

Escobido, who's collected seven double-doubles this season, made four of her eight shots from the field. Her 56.1 field-goal percentage this season is Ithaca's third-highest figure and her career mark of 54.7 is less than a point off the school record. She added three assists (tying a career high) and two steals.

Farley contributed five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Her 16 points included a career-best four three-point baskets. Farley now ranks eighth on Ithaca's all-time steals list (193) and is ninth in both assists (236) and three pointers (74).

Sophomore guard Kathryn Campbell added 10 points and three assists. Sophomore guard Mary Kate Tierney finished with seven rebounds and three steals -- both one short of career-high figures. Junior center Devin Shea (six points, four rebounds) blocked three shots.

The Bomber defense has held opponents to 49.8 points per game and 33.2 shooting from the floor; both marks are second to the 1999-2000 team's school-record performances.

Ithaca will be hosting the Empire 8 Championship Tournament for the sixth time in the event's nine years; the Bombers are the only team to qualify for the league playoffs every year and have won four straight Empire 8 regular-season titles, winning 57 of 62 conference games in that span.