Geena Brady led Ithaca College with 19 points as the Bombers topped Hamilton College 66-61 at the Skidmore College Invitational at the Williamson Center on Nov. 16.
Ithaca (1-0 overall) rode a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures. Mary Kate Tierney scored 13 points, Devin Shea added 11 and Jenn Escobido chipped in 10. Escobido corralled a game-high nine rebounds and Tierney grabbed seven. Kathryn Campbell led all players with six assists.
Eliza Howe ’13 scored a game-high 23 points for the Continentals. Howe was 7 of 13 from the field and went 9-for-11 at the free-throw line. Kim Goidell ’13 made all three of her 3-point shots and finished with 12 points. Goidell and Samantha Graber '16 each had a team-high seven rebounds and Madie Harlem ’13 dished out five assists. Dani Feigin ’14 paced the defense with a game-high six steals and added nine points.
Hamilton (0-1) was limited to just 33.3 percent shooting (9-27) in the first half, but was able to keep it close as Ithaca held a slim 29-28 lead at the break.
The Continentals quickly took the lead in the second half behind four consecutive points by Howe. There were four lead changes and six ties in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Ithaca regained the lead for good at 47-45 with 8:53 remaining.
After the Bombers went up by 11 at 63-52 with 1:30 left, Hamilton rallied to cut its deficit to five with just 31 seconds to play. A steal by Feigin led to a 3-point play for Howe, and Goidell knocked down a three to make it 63-58. Ithaca drained three of its last four free throws to seal the victory.
Ithaca shot 50 percent (25-50) and held a sizeable 34-14 advantage on points in the paint. The Bombers outrebounded the Continentals 38-28. Hamilton knocked down eight 3-pointers en route to shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Hamilton wraps up the Skidmore Invitational with a non-conference game against NESCAC foe Tufts University on Saturday, Nov. 17. Ithaca plays the hosts on Saturday.
