ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season Tuesday evening, hosting Cortland in a non-conference matchup at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers mounted a late fourth-quarter rally, cutting a 16-point deficit to five, but the Red Dragons held on down the stretch to secure a 75-65 victory.
Natalie Tucker led Ithaca with 14 points, adding five assists, while Simone Pintinalli contributed 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Tori Drevna also reached double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds. Mary Bernat paced the Bombers on the glass with 13 rebounds to go along with five points and four steals. Ithaca finished the night shooting 37.1 percent from the floor and 37.0 percent from three-point range, knocking down 10 triples.
The Bombers got off to a solid start, with Grace McNamara opening the scoring on a second-chance layup. Tucker added a pair of free throws to give Ithaca a 4-2 advantage early in the first quarter. Cortland responded with a three-pointer from Kayla Campbell and gradually built its lead, taking a 14-12 advantage into the second quarter. Ava Paone helped keep the Bombers within reach, scoring four points in the opening frame.
Ithaca briefly reclaimed the lead in the second quarter as Pintinalli connected from beyond the arc to put the Bombers ahead 17-16. The Red Dragons answered with a 7-0 run to regain control, eventually extending their advantage to 12 points. Pintinalli added another three-pointer late in the period, but Cortland carried a 37-25 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Cortland continued to find success offensively, pushing its advantage to 18 points at 39-21 early in the third quarter. Bernat helped Ithaca stay within reach with a layup following a steal, while Drevna and Pintinalli connected from three-point range to trim the deficit to 10 at 43-33. However, the Red Dragons closed the quarter on a strong run, taking a 59-41 lead into the final period.
The Bombers put together their best offensive stretch in the fourth quarter, opening with a 9-2 run. Madison Gill knocked down a pair of three-pointers, while Pintinalli added another triple to bring Ithaca within eight at 61-53. Gill connected again from deep later in the period, and Tucker followed with a three-pointer of her own to make it a five-point game at 68-63 with 2:20 remaining. Cortland responded with a layup and converted its opportunities at the free-throw line down the stretch to secure the 75-65 victory.
Ithaca will hit the road on Friday, November 13 as it travels to SUNY Brockport for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Golden Eagles.
