The Bombers narrowly lost their opening Liberty League contest against Vassar College on Friday by a score of 71-64. Vassar dominated the early stages, taking a 34-21 lead into halftime. Despite a strong third quarter in which the Bombers outscored their opponents 26-15, the Brewers were able to pull away in the final minutes of the game. Ithaca fell to 4-2 while Vassar picked up their first win of the season.  
 
Inside the Box Score: 

• Grace Cannon led the Bombers in scoring again with 21 points on 5-15 shooting and was one rebound short of recording her third double-double of the season. Cannon was also 83% from the free-throw line on 12 attempts. 
• The Bombers shot just 23% from the field and 0% from 3-point range in the first half. However, the Bombers turned on the gas in the second half, shooting 53% from the field.  
• Ithaca dominated on the boards, posting 18 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds. Grace Cannon, Cara Volpe, and Lindsey Albertelli led the way with 28 rebounds between themselves.  
• Lindsey Albertelli had her biggest scoring night of the year. She posted a season-high of 16 points on 7-7 shooting.  
• The Brewers were led by Emily Tincher who recorded 20 points and 5 steals in just 20 minutes of playing time. Sarah Gillooly and Julia Harvey were among Vassar's other leading scorers.  

How it Happened: 

• Ithaca had a first quarter to forget, scoring only 8 points on 3-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Vassar started the game on an 8-0 run. Melissa Buxton was a spark off the bench, scoring the Bombers' first basket of the game.  
• IC's shooting woes continued into the second quarter, going 0-5 from distance and and shooting 22% from the field. Grace Cannon helped cut into Vassar's lead by going 4-of-4 from the line in the quarter.  
• The Bombers came out firing in the third quarter. Vassar's lead was cut to just two points with 4:30 remaining in the quarter behind impressive play from Lindsey Albertelli who had eight points during the stretch. The third quarter ended with the Bombers trailing 49-47. 
• A mid-range jumper by Albertelli and a three-point effort from Cannon put the Bombers up 52-49 to start the fourth quarter. The Brewers led 66-64 with 2:02 left and closed out the game from the free throw line, going 5-7 over the final stretch. 

The Bombers will travel to Annandale-On-Hudson, N.Y. to play Bard College on Friday, December 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.