ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team was back in action on Saturday afternoon in a key Liberty League showdown again Union College inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers would extend their winning streak to eight in a row as they downed the Garnet Chargers, 74-61. With the win, Ithaca remain atop the Liberty League with a record of 11-7 overall and 10-1 within conference.
The women's basketball program once again raised awareness around breast cancer on Saturday as they honored cancer warriors in the fight against all cancers while raising money for the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes.
Ithaca fought back to tie the game at 3-3 when
Annabella Yorio earned a tough and-one, which she successfully converted. The Bombers took their first lead when
Tori Drevna drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Garnet Chargers called their first timeout after
Anya Watkins grabbed her own rebound off a missed free throw and scored a put-back layup, giving Ithaca a 10-7 lead.
Madison Gill extended Ithaca's lead to 13-9 with just over two minutes left in the quarter by knocking down a trey. Gill hit another shot from downtown as the Bombers continued to push the pace, leading 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.
Union cut the deficit to 18-16 within the opening two minutes of the second quarter, but IC responded with
Elizabeth Majka driving to the basket and converting. The Garnet Chargers tied it at 20-20 when Kate Peek knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:57 left in the half. Peek hit again with a step-back 3-pointer that put Union up 25-23, but
Aila Dervisevic matched it, and shortly after,
Emma Waite knocked down a 3-pointer to give Ithaca a 29-25 advantage. Down the stretch, Ithaca looked to again run in fast break as Waite hit a layup, Majka converted on a pull-up jumper, and
Tori Drevna splashed another trey. The Bombers carried a 36-28 lead into the halftime break.
The Garnet Chargers opened the second half with a 4-0 run over the first three minutes. Ithaca settled in with back-to-back fast break buckets from
Elizabeth Majka and Icabalceta, extending their lead to eight (40-32). At the midway point of the third quarter, Jelena Perovic drove to the hoop, capping off five unanswered points for Union. However, the Garnet Chargers went cold, and
Madison Gill knocked down her third 3-pointer. On the very next possession,
Emma Waite banked in a trey to extend IC's lead to 47-38 with 1:49 left. Gill remained red-hot, canning another 3-pointer as time expired, giving Ithaca a 51-42 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The teams traded points across the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter, but Emma Riley hit back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting Ithaca's lead to 59-52. The Bombers immediately responded with
Anya Watkins scoring in the paint and
Madison Gill hitting another trey from downtown (64-52), forcing a Union timeout with 5:33 remaining. Gill knocked down her sixth 3-pointer of the afternoon to extend Ithaca's lead to 67-54. The Bombers then locked down their defense during the final three minutes, holding on for a 74-61 win.
Gill would finish as the leading scorer netting a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range.
Elizabeth Majka scored 15 and
Emma Waite also finished in double figures with her 11 points.
Next up, the Bombers will continue their five-game homestand when they host Skidmore College this upcoming Friday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
