Box Score CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team dealt SUNY Cortland its first loss of the season with a 64-61 victory in Corey Gymnasium on Tuesday evening. Ithaca and Cortland are now both 4-1 on the season.

The Bombers fell behind Cortland, 10-0, over the first 5:07 of the contest before they could get on the board. Sophomore Ali Ricchiuti ended the Red Dragons' run with a layup at the 14:38 mark and Ithaca began to chip away at the deficit.

Baskets from freshman Jordan Beers and sophomore Erin Ferguson brought Ithaca to within six on two different occasions in a 41-second span, but Cortland answered with a three-pointer to go up by nine at 15-6 with 12:46 left in the half. After a lay-in from freshman Erin Woop made the score 15-8, Beers scored nine of Ithaca's next 11 points on a trifecta of three-pointers to knot the game up at 19-19 with 9:08 to go.

Cortland regained the lead after nearly a five-minute drought for both teams, and stayed ahead until Ferguson gave the Bombers their first lead of the game, 26-25, with 1:19 on the clock. The Red Dragons would go back on top, 27-26, with just three seconds left before halftime.

Beers scored 11 of her career-high 16 points in the first half on 4-for-8 shooting – 3-for-7 from distance.

Cortland opened the second half with a quick basket just 14 seconds in, but Ricchiuti came right down the floor and nailed a three to tie the game up at 29-29. She then gave Ithaca a 31-29 edge after a steal by senior Ally Mnich, but back-to-back threes from the Red Dragons put Cortland back up by four at 35-31.

Mnich would cut the lead in half on a jumper with 17:26 left in the contest, and then Ricchiuti drilled another shot from long range to put Ithaca back up by one, 36-35, less than a minute later. The Red Dragons tallied the next four points in a two-minute stretch, but Ithaca answered with a 9-0 to build a six-point cushion, 45-39, with 11:56 to go, and never looked back.

During the run, Ricchiuti netted five of her 16 second half points, while Beers and sophomore Erin Steele both put in a basket.

Ricchiuti finished the night with a team-high 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 3-for-6 from three-point range.

Cortland was able to get back to within a point with 5:21 remaining, but Ithaca put the game away with five made free throws, a three-pointer from Steele and a layup by senior Francesca Cotrupe. The Red Dragons hit a 30-foot shot as the buzzer sounded to account for the 64-61 final tally.

Ferguson contributed eight points (4-for-5) and seven rebounds in the win, while Steele grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds to go along with five points and three assists. Woop chipped in six points, five assists, three steals and two rebounds. Cotrupe snagged six rebounds with two assists, and Mnich finished with five points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals. Seniors Geena Brady and Samantha Klie each added two points.

Ithaca went 24-for-58 (41.4-percent) from the field, 7-for-25 from three-point range and 9-for-12 at the line. Cortland shot at a similar rate – 24-for-62 (38.7-percent), 8-for-24 and 5-for-8.

The Bombers travel to St. Lawrence this Saturday, Dec. 6, for a 3 p.m. tip-off.