SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team used a solid second half to defeat Skidmore, 57-45, on Saturday afternoon. The Bombers are now 13-5 overall with a 9-2 mark in Liberty League play.
 
The Bombers were led by senior KellyAnne O'Reilly, who scored 20 points and dished out five assists. O'Reilly provided a huge boost for IC, scoring 17 of her 20 points in the second half and finishing the day with five made 3-pointers.
 
Senior Cassidy O'Malley also scored in double-figures, netting 12 points and recording four blocks. Junior Grace Cannon chipped in eight points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
 
It was low-scoring in the first quarter, as just 19 points were scored between the two teams. Things were relatively even between the two teams, as they traded baskets for the first few minutes.
 
Skidmore's Kate McCarney hit a 3-pointer at the 7:41 mark, and following several minutes of no-scoring, Jessica Centore netted a jumper to give the Thoroughbreds a 7-3 lead with 4:58 on the clock.
 
O'Reilly scored her lone three points of the first half with a shot from distance to tie it up at 3:42. The Bombers would take a brief, 9-8, edge on a Lindsey Albertelli layup. Skidmore's Toyin Koleoso ended the quarter with a bucket, however, to give the Thoroughbreds the one-point lead at the end of the quarter.
 
The Thoroughbreds opened up the second quarter of a 6-0 run behind baskets from Lilly Berg, Centore and Maddie Hastings.
 
Skidmore continued to keep a lead through the remainder of the quarter. Ithaca closed the gap to as few as two points following a bucket and a free throw from O'Malley, but the Thoroughbreds extended it back up to eight on a 3-pointer from Caroline Merguerian with 1:37 on the clock.
 
Ithaca opened up the second half with eight-straight points on a bucket from O'Malley and back-to-back 3-pointers from O'Reilly. The game would go on to be tied up twice more in the third before IC took a lead for the final time and held on to it.
 
With 5:49 on the clock, O'Reilly hit a shot from distance and followed it with another 3-pointer to push IC's lead up to 37-33.
 
A basket from O'Reilly and a jumper from Albertelli with 1:18 remaining game IC its biggest lead of the game at that point – six points – 43-37.
 
The Bombers went on a 6-0 run to open the fourth quarter to take its first double-digit lead of the game. Sophomore Melissa Buxton started the run with a layup before Abbi Field hit a jumper and a pair of free throws.
 
In the final 3:22, IC extended its lead to 15 points, starting with a free throw and a layup from O'Reilly. Megan Yawman also hit a free throw and Grace Cannon added a layup which gave the Bombers a 57-42 lead with 1:27 remaining.
 
Ithaca edged Skidmore in rebounds, 45-41 and shot 38.3 percent (23-for-60) compared to the Thoroughbred's 25.4 percent (15-for-59).
 
The Bombers area back in action on Tuesday with a road game at RIT at 5:30 p.m. Next weekend, IC closes out its five-game road stretch with a pair of games at RPI and Union.