ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team defeated RPI, 84-63, on Friday evening at Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
What started out as a relatively close game ended in a double-digit win for the Bombers, who turned things up in the second half.
 
Four separate Ithaca players scored in double figures, led by sophomore Cassidy O'Malley with a 19-point, five block performance.
 
Julie Yacovoni recorded her third double-double of the year with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The senior also added five assists, four steals and two blocks.
 
Junior Meghan Pickell netted a season-high 17 points while junior Annie Giannone scored a season-high 15 points while also dishing out five assists.
 
The Bombers held a lead for nearly all of the first half, but the Engineers were never far behind.
 
IC's biggest lead of the first quarter came with just three seconds left. Junior Sara Jackson drained a shot from behind the arc to give the Bombers a 27-21 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
The Engineers scored the first three points of the second quarter off a LaKissa Martin layup and a Sam O'Keefe free throw.
 
The Bombers, however, eventually built their lead back up to six points with just over four minutes left in the half on a Yacovoni fast-break layup. Although the lead fluctuated several times, Ithaca still went into the half with a four-point lead.
 
Ithaca kicked it up a notch in the third quarter, taking its first double-digit lead of the game on an O'Malley fast-break layup at the 7:06 mark.
 
The Bombers built up as much as a 16-point lead with 1:50 left on two Giannone free throws, which was the biggest lead up until that point.
 
RPI scored six straight points to cut the lead down to 10 points but Jackson ended the quarter with a jumper to push it back up to 12 points.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Engineers closed the gap back to single digits on two Sam Krumbhaar free throws with just over six minutes left to play.
 
A Yacovoni layup and two free throws from O'Malley gave the Bombers a 74-62 lead with 2:56 left in the game.
 
The Bombers scored the final 10 points of the game to close things out with the 21-point victory.
 
With the win, IC now improves to 11-4 with a 6-2 mark in the Liberty League while RPI falls to 9-6 with a 5-3 conference record.
 
The Bombers are back in action tomorrow at 2 p.m. when they host Skidmore as part of a double-header with the men's team.