CANTON, N.Y. – It was a tipsy-turvy effort for the Ithaca College women's basketball team on Friday night, but they mounted a second half comeback to knock off previously undefeated St. Lawrence University, 71-70 in overtime. The Saints dropped to 10-1 overall and 4-1 within the Liberty League, while Ithaca improved to 9-3 overall and 5-1 within conference.

Inside the Box Score

• It was a battle of arguably two of the best players in the Liberty League in Grace Cannon and St. Lawrence's Katie Frederick. Cannon entered the contest averaging 16.5 points per game, which is fifth best in the Liberty League. Meanwhile, Frederick averages 11.7 ppg and a conference-best 15 rebounds per game.
• It was a strong shooting first half for the Saints as they shot 17-of-31 from the field and 5-of-14 from 3-point range. Ithaca flipped the script in the second half with hot shooting themselves.
• The Bombers outscored St. Lawrence 21-7 in the third quarter that saw them shoot 55.6% from the field as it gave them a lead going into the fourth quarter.
• Grace Cannon finished as the leading scorer with 22 points and fellow guard Cara Volpe chipped in 16 points.

How it Happened

• It was a slow start out of the gates for both teams, Ithaca gained its first lead of the evening when Lindsey Alberteli assisted on an Emily Dorn layup that made it 8-7. On the ensuing possession Stella Davis hit a shot from 3-point range that gave St. Lawrence the lead (10-8) with 5:26 remaining in the quarter. It was hard to make baskets during the closing minutes with the Saints taking a four-point lead at 16-12 into the second quarter.
• It was another back-and-forth start, as Emily Dorn began heating up scoring her eight of her point 12 points of the contest to tie up at 18 points apiece. The Bombers continued the strong stretch of play making it an 8-0 run when Cara Volpe nailed a jumper from just inside the arc.
• After a Saints timeout, Olivia Middleton hit two-straight 3-pointers and a layup from Olivia Barringer gave them a 28-22 advantage. St. Lawrence continued the scoring spurt, but Grace Cannon nailed a trey to stop the bleeding with the Bombers trailing 32-25. Cannon converted an and-one at the free throw line with seven seconds remaining and St. Lawrence lead 39-28 going into halftime.
• The Bombers played better defense to open the third and SLU got cold from the field. Camryn Coffey nailed a 3-pointer that forced a timeout at the 6:03 mark with St. Lawrence leading 43-39. It quickly became a 15-4 run when the Bombers tied it up at 43 points apiece playing outstanding transition offense Cara Volpe dished to a trailing Emily Dorn. Ithaca gained the lead when Camryn Coffey drove it into the paint and made it 47-46 with 2:29 left in the quarter. That score remained the same until Grace Cannon added another bucket in the paint during the final 20-seconds.
• Ithaca continued to have an answer for the Saints as Lindsey Alberteli made it 53-50 on a layup and Hannah Polce stole a pass and was all alone for a layup that gave them a five-point lead. Cara Volpe scored six-straight points and forced a St. Lawrence timeout with 4:31 left and IC up 61-52.
• St. Lawrence mounted a comeback down the stretch, Ava McCann converted a layup followed by a Dylan Watkiss trey that cut the Ithaca lead to just 63-61 with 39 seconds remaining. The Saints forced a stop on defense and tied it up with two seconds with a Watkiss layup. Cara Volpe almost gave the Bombers the win with a hook shot as time expired, but it rolled off the rim.
• The teams traded buckets to open overtime before St. Lawrence made it a two-possession game when Olivia Middleton hit a 3-pointer as the score was in the favor of the Saints at 70-65. It was all Bombers from there finishing the game on a 6-0 run to win with Grace Cannon scoring four down the stretch.

 
Ithaca will have a quick turnaround as they will travel to Potsdam, N.Y. to square off against Clarkson University (2-10, 1-5) in a road Liberty League showdown. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.