ITHACA, N.Y. - The No. 15 ranked Ithaca College Women's Basketball Team defeated the RPI Engineers 73-39 at Ben Light Gymnasium earlier tonight in the Semi-Finals of the Liberty League tournament. With the win, Ithaca continued their undefeated run at home as they improved to 12-0 inside the friendly confines of Ben Light Gymnasium and will host the Liberty League Championship game on Sunday.
The Bombers solidified their 14
th-straight conference championship appearance and fifth-straight within the Liberty League. Ithaca began the first quarter by going on a 5-0 scoring run before RPI got the goose egg off the scoreboard with just under seven minutes to play. The Bombers defense held the Engineers to a 2-of-12 shooting clip as well as a tough 0-for-4 from the line.
Emily Dorn showed off her post play with a turnaround floater and smooth layup to give IC a 12-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The defensive clinic continued as the Bombers started out the second quarter with a quick steal from
Hannah Polce then resulting in a perfect trip at the charity stripe from
Lindsey Albertelli. With 2:41 left to play before halftime, the Bombers went on a 9-0 scoring run that featured a 3-pointer by
Graycen Dubin, layups by
Camryn Coffey and
Emily Dorn, and an additional three foul shots by Dorn. The Engineers had no answer for the Bombers fast paced offense as they ended the first half down 37-16.
The Bombers did nothing but dominate in the third quarter going on an 18-0 scoring run and a 27-7 run overall. The quarter featured 3-pointers from Coffey,
Hannah Polce, and
Natalie Smith. All of this added up to a 64-23 lead with one quarter left to play. RPI was 0-for-10 in attempting 3-pointers while the Bombers were 3-for-5 (60%).
RPI played their best brand of basketball in the fourth quarter, going on a 11-5 run which was then spoiled by a smooth step back corner three from Shaelyn Sabino. The Engineers late push was a small bright spot in an otherwise IC dominated semifinal matchup.
Emily Dorn led the Bombers offensive charge with 14 points scored on the night while Heather Converse leading RPI with 9 points scored. The Bombers brilliance on the boards propelled them to a 73-39 victory, as IC outrebounded RPI 41-22. Dorn grabbed four boards with
Lindsey Albertelli leading the way with nine rebounds.
On Sunday, the Bombers will host the Liberty League Championship at Ben Light Gymnasium against the winner of Skidmore vs Vassar.
