UTICA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team improved to 9-7 on the season and 5-2 in the Empire 8 Conference with a 67-55 victory at Utica College on Friday evening. Utica is now 6-9 and 1-5 on the year.

Ithaca led for a majority of the game, with a few exceptions. Junior Erin Ferguson scored the first four points of the game on back-to-back layup to jumpstart her 18-point, 10-rebound effort. After a pair of free throws by the Pioneers, sophomore Jordan Beers connected on a three-pointer to push Ithaca's lead out to five points with 6:08 left in the quarter. Utica cut the spread down to one, 7-6, over the next 1:02, but the Bombers used a 5-1 run in a 31-second span to take a four-point lead at 12-8 with 3:18 to go. Utica tied things up at 12-12, but junior Ali Ricchiuti drilled one from distance before the Pioneers made two at the line to end the period at 15-14 in favor of the Bombers.

Utica started the second quarter on a 5-0 to go ahead, 19-15, within a 1:09 span. Ithaca answered with a 10-0 run over the next 3:49 to turn a 19-14 deficit into a 25-19 lead with 4:43 left on the clock. Ricchiuti and senior Keri Steele made three-pointers, while Ferguson and sophomore Julie Yacovoni added two points during the stretch. Utica ended the run with 3:20 to go, but Ithaca quickly went back up by at 31-23 with less than two minutes to play, 31-23, on layups from Beers, Ferguson and Ricchiuti.  Steele sent Ithaca into halftime with an eight-point lead at 34-26 as she hit a three with just one second on the clock.

By 7:14 left in the third, Ithaca established its first double-digit lead and held onto to that cushion for most of the period, and headed to the fourth stanza with a 48-38 advantage.

Utica chipped away as time elapsed in the fourth, and got to within two at 52-50 with 5:39 left in regulation. Ferguson would then score twice and Steeled put in another to give the Bombers another eight-point lead, 58-50, at the 3:36 mark. Utica made a pair of free throws with 2:08 to go, but Ricchiuti connected on another from range, followed by two makes from Ferguson at the stripe to push Ithaca's edge back out to double figures at 63-52, and the Bomber would make six more at the line to come away with the win.

Beers finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting (4-of-10 from three) and four assists. Ricchiuti chipped in 15 points with six rebounds and four assists. Steeled netted 10 points for Ithaca, while Yacovoni tallied eight rebounds and six points.

The Bombers head to Hartwick tomorrow for another Empire 8 game at 4 p.m.

#ICVictory