ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team topped RIT, 71-67, on Tuesday evening at Clark Gym.
 
The win over the top-ranked Tigers was a crucial one for the Bombers, who are now 15-6 overall with a 10-4 mark in the Liberty League.
 
Ithaca was led by sophomore Cassidy O'Malley, who finished the day with 23 points, four rebounds and three blocks.
 
Junior Meghan Pickell scored 19 points for the Bombers while Allie Tunick added 12. Senior Julie Yacovoni scored six points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
 
The game was a nail-biter right from the beginning. The Bombers held a slight advantage for much of the first quarter, but the lead never extended past five points.
 
O'Malley hit a layup to start things rolling before Tunick converted on an and-one play to put the Bombers up 5-2.
 
The game was tied up for the second time just 2:30 in, when Jessica Glaz drained a three-pointer to make it 7-7.
 
With just over four minutes left to play in the first quarter, the Tigers took a brief, one-point lead on a Cori Okada bucket. IC took the lead right back on a Pickell layup and followed it up with back-to-back baskets to take a 19-14 lead.
 
RIT tied things again with 57 seconds left in the first before first-year Megan Yawman netted a shot from behind the arc with just three seconds left to put IC up 22-19.
 
The Bombers stretched their lead to seven points in the first two minutes of the second quarter following two layups from Yacovoni and Erin Woop.
 
The Tigers went on to score seven straight points, taking a 27-26 lead midway through the second quarter.
 
Over the next several minutes, the two teams exchanged baskets before an O'Mallley layup gave IC another lead. Tunick followed that with a three-pointer and Yacovoni hit back-to-back shots to push the Bombers' advantage up to eight points with 20 seconds left in the half.
 
Okada hit a buzzer-beater to end the half with IC holding the 39-34 edge.
 
The Bombers maintained a small lead until the final three minutes of the third quarter. IC biggest lead of the quarter was just five points, last held midway through the quarter following an Abbi Field jumper.
 
Back-to-back and-one plays from Tara Lynch and Brooke Stanley gave the Tigers a lead with 2:53 left in the quarter.
 
IC took a brief lead back off an O'Malley layup, but RIT's Sabrina Wolfe hit a jumper to end the quarter with a 56-53 Tigers' lead.
 
The fourth quarter was a lot of back-and-forth action, and was tied three different times.
 
Annie Giannone hit a three at the 8:43 mark to give IC a lead again, but the game eventually was tied, 58-58, on a pair of Tara Lynch free throws.
 
The Bombers took another lead, but RIT again tied it up quickly at the 5:04 mark.
 
The game was tied one more time with 3:50 left before IC took the lead one more time a minute later and held it until the end.
 
With just 1:14 left, Okada netted to free throws for RIT to bring the Tigers with two points.
 
O'Malley pulled down a clutch offensive rebound with just under one minute left to play, resetting the possession and running more time off the clock.
 
RIT'S Glaz hit the second of two free throws to cut the Bombers' lead to just 68-67 with 31 seconds left, but O'Malley hit two free throws and Meghan Mazzella netted one to put the exclamation on the game and give IC the win.
 
Ithaca is back in action on Friday night when the team hosts Clarkson at 6 p.m. It is the first of a four-game homestand to end the regular season schedule. The game will also be the second-annual Pride night, sponsor by IC Athletics and the LGBT Center.