SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Ithaca College women's basketball team earned another Liberty League win Saturday afternoon after facing off against Skidmore College. This 65-55 victory extends their winning streak to six games, improving their season record to 9-7 and placing them at 8-1 in Liberty League play.
Coming off a close victory Friday evening in Troy, Ithaca continued their road trip, arriving in Saratoga Springs ready to take on the Thoroughbreds. The Bombers were prepared to play, scoring first in the opening quarter with a three-pointer sunk by
Emma Waite. However, only seconds later, Skidmore's Cassie Davidson responded with a three-pointer, setting the tone for another back-and-forth game reminiscent of Ithaca's battle the night before. The Bombers quickly regained a small lead with a hook shot from
Annabella Yorio. A quiet two minutes from both teams ended when Madison Meyer made a layup for Skidmore, tying the game at 5-5. Ithaca's tenacious offense quickly responded with another hook shot from Yorio.
The Bombers defense locked down the Thoroughbreds throughout much of the quarter until Skidmore gained a one-point lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter. Skidmore then found momentum, scoring four unanswered points to extend their lead to 16-11. With only 26 seconds left on the clock,
Tori Drevna sunk a three-pointer to close Skidmore's lead to just 16-14 heading into the second quarter.
A layup from
Elizabeth Majka put Ithaca on the board first in the second quarter, tying the game at 16-16. Drevna followed with a jump shot to give the Bombers back the lead at 18-16. Just a minute later, Meyer responded with a layup, tying it again at 18-18. The remainder of the quarter followed a similar pattern, with each team trading the lead. The biggest lead of the quarter was four points, held by Skidmore at 29-25. With only 2:37 left on the clock, the Bombers remained relentless, entering halftime trailing the Thoroughbreds by just one point, 33-32.
Ithaca came into the third quarter strong, continuing their momentum and scoring first with a three-pointer from Waite, giving them a quick 35-33 lead. What initially seemed like another back-and-forth quarter, with Skidmore tying the game at 35-35, quickly shifted as the Bombers offense ignited. Ithaca built a nine-point lead with contributions from Drevna,
Madison Gill, Majka, and Yorio. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bombers led 48-39.
Despite trailing by nine, Skidmore did not let up, opening the fourth quarter with a layup from Meyer. They managed to narrow Ithaca's lead to just four points, but their efforts were not enough as the Bombers maintained their lead throughout the quarter. Ithaca dominated the closing minutes, scoring their final two points off free throws from Waite in the last few seconds of the game, solidifying their 65-55 victory.
The Bombers return to Ben Light Gymnasium on January 31 at 5:30 p.m. to face William Smith in a Liberty League matchup.
