ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season after falling to Rochester, 64-62, on Tuesday in what was a down-to-the-wire battle inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers slip to 5-3 with the defeat, while Rochester runs its record to 7-3.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Grace Cannon has been as advertised this season, as she led all scorers with 24 points. The standout guard also dialed up her third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds on the hardwood.
• Rochester finished with two double digit scorers in Alexis Sestric and Julianna Okoniewski who notched 16 and 15 points, respectfully.
• The Yellowjackets clocked out on the evening shooting 43% (7-of-16) from long range, but Ithaca boasted a 16-14 advantage on the offensive glass. Graduate guard Megan Yawman had herself a solid day in the scoring department, scoring nine points along with five rebounds and four assists.

 
How it Happened

• The opening quarter belonged to the Yellowjackets who went on an emphatic 11-0 run to close out the first stanza. The Bombers struggled mightily on the offensive end by only putting four points on the board behind 2-14 shooting from the field. Cannon provided a jolt early on, hitting a smooth jump shot to score the first points of the contest.
• Rochester looked to be automatic from three-point land, shooting 5-10 from downtown to craft a commanding 40-18 lead at the break. Cannon was the anchor of the IC offense throughout the quarter, as the shooting guard dialed up eight points and forced two turnovers. Despite outshooting the Yellowjackets 21-18 throughout the frame, Ithaca continued to have issues scoring within the arc, as the unit shot for 33%. In addition, the Bombers did not convert a single three-pointer in the first half.
• Ithaca overcame a subpar first half and finally found its offensive rhythm as the unit began to take command with a 10-4 run early in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 44-28. Things opened up with back-to-back layups from Lindsey Albertelli and Cara Volpe in the first two minutes. IC capped off the quarter in dominant fashion, going on a 9-0 run that ended with a Hannah Polce layup that drew a foul and put the Bomber fans on their feet. The in-sync group was firing on all cylinders throughout the quarter, shooting at 9-18 from the field. Rochester held on to a tight 46-40 lead going into the final 10 minutes of play.
• Despite outscoring the away team 22-18 in the final quarter, a 36% shooting percentage hindered the momentum down the stretch. Both teams traded buckets in the last two minutes of regulation, and baskets from Cannon and Yawman made it as close as 58-55 with just over a minute to go. Trailing by six with nine seconds remaining, Yawman nailed a beautiful fade away three-point shot to make it 63-60. That's before Rochester regained possession and scored off of a foul shot to put the ball game away.

Ithaca College will return to the court and jump back into conference action one month from today when the squad hosts RPI on Friday, January 7. Tip-off from Ben Light Gymnasium is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.