ROCHESTER, NY- The Ithaca College women’s basketball team played its final game of 2022 on the road against No. 21 University of Rochester, dropping 66–83 to Liberty League opponents.
The Bombers started and finished strong, led by the senior guard Natalie Smith with 17 points and grad student guard Cara Volpe with 16 dots. Ithaca trailed just one point after the first quarter and edged the Yellow Jackets by one point in the fourth quarter. However, in the second and third quarters, Rochester outscored the Bombers 43–26.
The Bombers started the game off on the right foot, converting three of their first four possessions to take an 8-2 lead within the first two minutes. But, the Yellow Jackets responded with a 9-2 run to take the lead midway through the first quarter. As both teams began to make substitutions, Emilie Dorn kept the Bombers tied, converting two layups in the second half of the quarter. Both teams traded baskets the rest of the way as Rochester would finish the first quarter with the lead, 23-22.
In the second quarter, the flow carried over from the first quarter. Two buckets of Smith guard Camryn Coffeyaccompanied by a field goal from the front Lindsey Albertelli helped hold the score at 31-33 halfway through the second quarter. However, after a few free throws and strong defensive positions, the Yellow Jackets were able to put together a 12–5 run before halftime, extending their lead to 48–38.
In the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets did not miss a beat, picking up where they left off before halftime. Rochester stormed into the second half on an 18–4 run to extend their lead to 66–42 with four minutes left in the third quarter. A Dorn layup and a Volpe three-pointer stopped the bleeding for the time being, but the Bombers would enter the third quarter down 18, trailing 66–48. Entering the fourth quarter, the Bombers quickly reduced their deficit to 12, after two good jumpers from Volpe and another goaltender. Zoraida Icabalceta with seven and a half minutes remaining in regulation. Two free throws from Volpe cut the Yellow Jackets lead to 10 with six minutes left, but it was the closest the Bombers would get the rest of the night. The Yellow Jackets edged the Bombers 17–10 the rest of the way, resulting in an 83–66 loss for Ithaca.
The Bombers fall to 6-2 on the season and will start the 2023 calendar year at home to Hamilton College at 2 p.m. on Jan. 2 at Ben Light Gymnasium in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
