CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team secured an 81-54 season-opening victory over St. Lawrence on Friday evening in Corey Gymnasium at SUNY Cortland as part of the Cortaca Classic. Ithaca led for all but 24 seconds in the win.

Ithaca scored the first basket of the game on a 3-pointer by junior Jordan Beers just 12 seconds in. St. Lawrence answered with back-to-back threes by the 7:59 mark of the first quarter, and the score remained within one possession until the Bombers went up, 12-8, with 6:22 to play. From there, the Bombers finished off the period on a 15-7 run to build a 27-15 advantage.

Senior Ali Ricchiuti scored eight points in the quarter, as she converted on back-to-back and-ones midway through the stanza. Beers had four and sophomore Annie Giannone added five points over the opening 10 minutes.

The Bombers added onto their lead throughout the second quarter and went into halftime with a 23-point cushion at 49-26. Ricchiuti netted 10 more points, all of which came during the final 4:24, to give her 18 at the break.

Ithaca forced 20 turnovers in the half which led to 22 points. The Bombers' offense shot 50-percent (20-for-40) from the floor.

It was much of the same in the third quarter, as the Bombers led by more than 20 points for all but 12 seconds (55-36), and went to the final period with a 59-38 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Bombers quickly grew their lead to 30 points at 68-38 in less than four minutes. The remainder of the game stayed between a 27- to 30-point difference, and Ithaca would go on to win the opener, 81-54.

Ricchiuti finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while senior Erin Ferguson chipped in 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 5-of-6 at the free throw line. Fellow senior Shayna Gaskins matched a career-high with 14 points to go along with five rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

Beers contributed five points in the game with four rebounds and three steals. Giannone added seven points and three steals, while junior Julie Yacovoni, sophomore Meghan Pickell and freshman Cassidy O'Malley all scored four points.

The Bombers recorded 24 steals in the game, as St. Lawrence committed 35 turnovers. Ithaca shot 32-for-74 (43.2%) from the field and 13-for-18 (72.2%) at the line. Thirty-four of the team's 81 points came from the bench.

Ithaca is home tomorrow afternoon for a 3 p.m. tipoff against William Smith in Ben Light Gymnasium. William Smith defeated Cortland, 82-54, in the first game of the Cortaca Classic.