Box Score

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team (12-4, 5-1 Empire 8) won its fourth straight game defeating Nazareth (6-9, 2-4 Empire 8), 63-54, Saturday afternoon at Kidera Gymnasium.

Ithaca scored the first bucket of the game and led the rest of the way. The Bombers, who had an 11-point margin at the half, led by as many as 17 in the second. Nazareth snuck within seven on three occasions, lastly at 2:46. The Bombers posted six of the final 10 points to hold off the host squad.

Senior Jenn Escobido put up 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting to lead the Bombers. Junior Francesca Cotrupe added 11. Senior Mary Kate Tierney flirted with a triple double with nine points and game-highs of 12 boards and nine assists. Tierney and Escobido each made a pair of streals.

The Bombers used a 12-3 run in the first to take a double-digit lead, 26-13, at 7:23. Nazareth tallied the next six, but the Bombers closed out the half with a 33-22 edge. Despite holding a 17-point advantage in the second, Ithaca was outscored by a pair of points in the second. Nazareth erased Ithaca's 47-30 lead with 10 unanswered forcing Ithaca to burn a timetout. The teams exchanged two buckets each before Ithaca recorded six straight points. Nazareth answered with a 5-0 streak to cut the game to 57-50 at 2:46. Ithaca held strong down the stretch to win, 63-54.

For the second game in as many days, Ithaca shot better than 45 percent from the floor connecting on 47.4 percent of its shots. Nazareth hit 31.0 percent. The Bombers outrebounded the Golden Flyers, 42-31.

Ithaca will return to action Friday, Jan. 24 hosting Stevens Institute of Technology at 8 p.m.