ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team played their final game in 2022 on the road against the No. 21 University of Rochester, falling 66–83 in non-conference action.
 
The Bombers started and finished strong, led by senior guard Natalie Smith with 17 points and graduate student guard Cara Volpe with 16 points. Ithaca only trailed by one after the first quarter and outscored the Yellow Jackets by one in the fourth quarter. However, in the second and third quarters, Rochester outscored the Bombers 43–26.
 
The Bombers started the game off on a good start, converting three of their first four possessions to jump out to an 8–2 lead in the first two minutes. But, the Yellow Jackets responded with a 9–2 run of their own to jump out ahead by the midway mark of the first quarter. As both teams began to make subs, Emily Dorn kept the Bombers even, converting two layups in the back half of the quarter. Both teams traded baskets the rest of the way, as Rochester would end the first quarter with the lead, 23–22. 
 
In the second quarter, the flow carried over from the first quarter. Two buckets from Smith, guard Camryn Coffey, along with a field goal from forward Lindsey Albertelli helped keep the score close at 31–33 halfway through the second quarter. However, after some free throws and solid defensive stands, the Yellow Jackets were able to put together a 12–5 run going into halftime, extending their lead to 48–38. 
 
In the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets didn't miss a beat, picking up right where they left off before halftime. Rochester stormed into the second half on an 18–4 run to extend their lead to 66–42 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. A Dorn layup and Volpe three-point basket stopped the bleeding for the moment, but the Bombers would enter the third quarter down 18, trailing 66–48. As they entered the fourth quarter, the Bombers quickly trimmed their deficit down to 12, after two good jumpers from Volpe and another guard Zoraida Icabalceta with seven and a half minutes remaining in regulation.  Two Volpe free throws reduced the Yellow Jackets lead to 10 with six minutes remaining, but that was the closest the Bombers would get the rest of the night. The Yellow Jackets outscore the Bombers 17–10 the rest of the way, resulting in an 83–66 defeat for the Ithaca.
 
The Bombers fall to 6–2 on the season and will begin the 2023 calendar year at home against Hamilton College at 2 p.m. on Jan. 2 at Ben Light Gymnasium in their final non-conference game of the regular season.