GENEVA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team topped William Smith, 68-53, on Friday evening.
 
With the win, the Bombers improve to 12-5 overall with a 7-3 mark in the Liberty League while the Herons drop to 10-7 overall and 4-6 in conference action.
 
Three Bombers scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Cassidy O'Malley with 16 points and senior Julie Yacovoni with 15 points, two steals and two blocks. Both O'Malley and Yacovoni were just one rebound short of a double-double with nine rebounds. 
 
Junior Meghan Pickell also hit double-figures, netting 11 points for IC. First-year Grace Cannon added seven points.
 
The Bombers started things off strong, scoring the first eight points of the game behind four points from Pickell.
 
IC held a lead the entire first quarter and built the lead up to double-figures in the final minute of play.
 
William Smith closed the deficit to six points at the 3:02 mark on a three-pointer from Kendra Quinn-Moultrie. Cannon netted a jumper for IC before junior Annie Giannone hit a shot from behind the arc to put the Bombers up 11 points with 49 seconds left.
 
The second quarter proved to be a closer one between the Bombers and the Herons.
 
William Smith's Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou layup with just over seven minutes left in the half brought the Herons within four points of the Bombers.
 
Ithaca built its lead back up to double-digits several times in the remaining minutes, and still held a 10-point lead with 41 seconds to go. The Herons Juliana Gamboa, however, netted two free throws with 33 seconds left and then drained a buzzer-beating three pointer, giving the Bombers a narrow 30-26 lead at the half.
 
Yacovoni opened up the third quarter with a three-pointer to push the Bombers' advantage to seven points.
 
A Quinn-Moultrie and-one play brought the IC lead back down to four points with just over eight minutes left in the quarter.
 
Things played out in a similar manner over the next few minutes. Yacovoni netted another shot from behind the arc at the 8:03 mark before William Smith's Mia Morrison completed a traditional three-point play.
 
Giannone brought the Bombers' lead to 44-34 midway through the third quarter but the Herons continued to hit shots to keep things close.
 
Dimitrakopoulou drained a three with 2:07 left in the quarter and Gamboa hit yet another buzzer-beating shot to end the quarter with IC up just 47-42.
 
Ithaca and William Smith exchanged baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before O'Malley hit a layup at 7:06 which started a run for IC.
 
Midway through the fourth quarter, junior Meghan Mazzella scored on an and-one play to give the Bombers a 61-47 edge before Morrison hit two free throws for the Herons.
 
Ithaca ended the game with an O'Malley layup, a Mazzella free throw and a Yacovoni bucket en route to its 15-points lead.
 
The Bombers are currently in a three-way tie for second place in the Liberty League with St. Lawrence and Skidmore.
 
IC is back in action tomorrow at Union. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.