ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team is the hottest in the Liberty League, boasting a 15-game winning streak as they enter postseason play. As the No. 1 seed, the Bombers are set to host No. 4 RIT in a semifinal matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Friday inside Ben Light Gymnasium.
GAME COVERAGE
VIDEO | LIVE STATS | GAME PROGRAM
2025 LIBERTY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, February 25
Skidmore defeated Union, 46-43
RIT beat St. Lawrence, 78-68
Friday, February 28
RIT (15-11) at Ithaca (18-7) – 5:30 p.m.
Skidmore (15-11) at Vassar (19-6) – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 2
Championship game at highest remaining seed – TIME TBA
ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca College has dominated the all-time series against RIT, holding a 56-5 record over the Tigers since the 1988 season. The Bombers have also won 12 in a row, including sweeping the season series.
In their last matchup, Ithaca dominated the first half on both sides of the court, never relinquishing the lead to RIT. The closest RIT got was 8-5, following a three-pointer by Caroline Henderson just four minutes into the first quarter. The Bombers' largest lead, 41-20, developed near the end of the second quarter, fueled by two back-to-back three-pointers from
Tori Drevna and a jump shot from
Emma Waite. Leading the scoring charge was
Emma Waite, who netted 22 points, including 8-of-12 shooting from the field.
ANYA WATKINS NAMED TO THE LIBERTY LEAGUE HONOR ROLL: Anya Watkins continued her exceptional senior season, averaging 11.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in a 2-0 weekend for Ithaca that clinched the Bombers the No. 1 seed in the upcoming championship tournament. Watkins went 1-for-2 and grabbed a rebound and an assist in four minutes against Bard. She then exploded for a double-double in the 78-74 overtime win that clinched the No. 1 seed, producing 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds in the victory over the Brewers.
SCOUTING ITHACA: Ithaca features the second-best scoring offense in the conference, averaging 65.7 points per game while allowing 57.7. The Bombers are 10-0 when holding opponents to 56 or fewer points.
Ithaca has had a balanced scoring attack this year, with four athletes averaging 9.0 points or more:
Anya Watkins (9.6),
Annabella Yorio (9.1),
Emma Waite (9.0), and
Elizabeth Majka (9.0).
Zoraida Icabalceta is also a key contributor, averaging 8.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
SCOUTING RIT: The fourth-seeded Tigers defeated fifth-seeded St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals at home on Tuesday, 78-68. The Tigers saw Ben Keyser-Cochran score a game-high 22 points, along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Senior guard Kaitlyn Bockelman added 21 points off 8-of-10 shooting from the field, a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 at the charity stripe. Bockelman also grabbed six rebounds and recorded a career-best five assists.
The win marked the first postseason victory for RIT since the 2018-19 season when the Tigers defeated Vassar in the semifinals of the Liberty League tournament before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. First year guard Caroline Henderson has made a program-record 71 three-pointers this season for RIT, surpassing the previous best of 64 by Jessia Glaz in the 2015-16 season.
NEXT UP FOR ITHACA: With a win on Friday evening, the Bombers would host the winner of No. 2 Vassar and No. 3 Skidmore College right here in Ben Light Gymnasium on Sunday. If Ithaca loses, their season will likely conclude.
