ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team will head down to Hoboken, N.J. this weekend for the Empire 8 Conference Championship hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology. Ithaca is set to play Hartwick College in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday evening inside Canvan Arena, and if the Bombers prevail, they will compete for the title at 4 p.m. on Saturday against the winner of Stevens and St. John Fisher College.
Stevens will serve as the tournament host for the second consecutive year after winning the regular season tiebreaker over the Bombers due to a higher strength of schedule. Ithaca and Stevens both finished with a 14-2 conference record, split its season matchup and both lost on the road at Hartwick, which resulted in the fourth tiebreaker according to Empire 8 rules.
The Bombers are 17-7 all-time in the Empire 8 tournament and have won six titles since the conference implemented a four-team championship format. Ithaca has played in each tournament since 2003-04.
TOURNAMENT GAME TIMES:
Friday, February 24 – Semifinals
No. 1 Stevens vs. No. 4 St. John Fisher – 6 p.m. Live Stats |
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No. 2 Ithaca vs. No. 3 Hartwick – 8 p.m. Live Stats |
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Saturday, February 25 – Final
Semifinal Winners – 4 p.m. Live Stats |
Video
TOURNAMENT HOMEPAGE
BOMBERS AGAINST THE FIELD: Ithaca went 4-2 this season against Stevens (1-1), Hartwick (1-1) and Fisher (2-0). In those six contests, the Bombers averaged 61.2 points per game and allowed 56.3 per contest.
In the Empire 8 Championship, the Bombers are 3-0 versus Hartwick, 1-3 against Stevens and own an 8-2 record over Fisher.
BREAKING DOWN THE CHAMPIONSHIP:
No. 1 Stevens Ducks (15-9, 14-2 E8)
Stevens is a tough team to play on its home court in 2017. The Ducks are 8-2 inside Canavan Arena, including eight straight wins by an average of 31.0 points (76.5 to 45.5). The program also leads the Empire 8 in rebounding at 44.6 per game. Stevens will turn to two-time Empire 8 Player of the Year, Kaitlyn Astel, to navigate its offensive attack. Astel is averaging 16.8 points per game this season and is shooting 45.8-percent (159-for-347) from the field. Megan Brown is also a key contributor on both ends of the floor for the Ducks as she is averaging a double-double this season, 10.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Anna Toke is another low-post player for Stevens, and she adds 8.6 points and 8.4 boards a game.
No. 2 Ithaca Bombers (22-3, 14-2 E8)
The Bombers will bring an 11-game winning streak into this weekend's championship, nine of which have been by more than 10 points. Ithaca's average margin of victory this season is 15.6, as the Bombers score 71.8 points per game and surrender 56.2 per outing. Defensively, Ithaca ranks as one of the nation's best with 366 steals (14.6 per game). Ithaca possesses an extremely balanced team, as 12 players average at least 10.6 minutes per game. Seven of those Bombers have scored more than 110 points this season, led by junior
Jordan Beers (11.0 PPG) and seniors
Ali Ricchiuti (10.3 PPG) and
Erin Ferguson (10.1 PPG). Junior
Julie Yacovoni is another threat on both ends of the floor as she averages 7.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
No. 3 Hartwick Hawks (17-8, 13-3 E8)
Hartwick sat atop the conference standings for most of the season until it suffered setbacks to Stevens and Ithaca in a two-week span. The Hawks are one of the top offensive (65.9 PPG) and defensive (58.4 PPG) teams in the conference, as they rank second and third overall, and they lead the league in 3-point shooting (172-for-522). Four different Hawks pour in more than 10 points a contest, led by Emily Stone's 14.2. Jacqui Foreman nearly averages a double-double on the year with 12.4 points and 9.6 boards an outing, while Carly Johnson chips in 11.8 points and has made 54 3-pointers.Caitlin Corbett is the Hawks' fourth-leading scorer at 10.5 points and converts 82.7-percent at the free throw line.
No. 4 St. John Fisher Cardinals (12-13, 9-7 E8)
The Cardinals are another mainstay in postseason play, as Fisher has reached all but one conference tournament. Fisher has won two Empire 8 titles (2006 and 2015) since the conference went to a playoff format and has reached the championship four times, but never as four seed. Caroline Robertson is the lone Cardinal to average double figures in scoring at 13.2 points a game, to go along with 6.6 rebounds. Emily Piacentini and Erin Hulbert split time at the point and have accounted for nearly half of the team's assists (151 of 323). Jessica Rhone, Maria Kelleher, Nicole Robinson, Chelsea Repard and Alyssa Robbins will also contribute for the Cardinals as all of them have scored more than 100 points this season.
