The women’s basketball team (18–4 overall, 10–1 Empire 8) scored a pair of victories at Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College during the weekend to start its road trip off on the right foot.
The Bombers raced out to a 27-5 lead in the first half of Friday’s contest against Nazareth (11–10 overall, 4–7 Empire 8) and coasted the rest of the way to a 58-42 victory. The Blue and Gold held the Golden Flyers to just 29 percent shooting from the floor and only two made baskets in the first 11 minutes of the game.
Senior guard Jessica Farley led all scorers with 17 points and added three steals, three rebounds and two assists to her stat line. Sophomore forward Jennifer Escobido chipped in nine points and nine rebounds and junior forward Elizabeth Conti contributed seven points, five rebounds and three steals off the bench.
The South Hill squad handled a quick turnaround by earning a hard-fought 74-66 victory at St. John Fisher (11–11, 7–4 Empire 8) yesterday. Farley’s hot streak continued as she scored 19 points, her highest point total of the season, while adding five steals and four assists. Junior forward Devin Shea also scored 19 points with a team-high five assists and sophomore guard Kathryn Campbell tallied her third career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Saturday’s contest featured seven lead changes and eight ties before the Bombers were able to finally pull away with a 17-7 run to close the game. Sophomore guard Mary Kate Tierney scored nine of her 14 points in the second half while Farley chipped in seven of her points in the final 13 minutes.
The Bombers’ work on the boards was key in the win against Fisher as the Blue and Gold outrebounded the Cardinals 44-31 and scored 18 second chance points.
With Saturday’s victory, the Bombers clinched a spot in the four-team Empire 8 Championship Tournament that will be held Feb. 24-25. The South Hill squad remains tied atop the conference standings with Hartwick College.
The Blue and Gold will continue their road trip with a 6 p.m. matchup Friday at Elmira College.
