The Ithaca College women’s basketball team lost to the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds 54–52 Feb. 26 during the Liberty League Championship.
With eyes on a fourth consecutive Liberty League Championship, the Bombers gave it their all in a thriller against the Thoroughbreds. Graduate student forward Lindsey Albertelli led the Bombers with 12 points while shooting 50% from the field.
For the Thoroughbreds, senior guard Kate McCarney came off the bench and recorded 15 points. Sophomore forward Emmy Plage had 13 points while also recording five rebounds and two steals.
The first quarter started out slow for the Bombers. The Thoroughbreds went on a 5–0 run after Plage made both a layup and a shot from deep in the first minute of playing time.
However, the Bombers quickly struck back, going on 6–0 run to grab a 6–5 lead with 4:19 left in the quarter. Despite this, the Thoroughbreds kept their momentum, leading 18–14 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was just as slow for the Bombers, who did not score their first points until almost halfway through. The team was getting good looks but could not find themselves making any, as they went 3-for-13 from the field in the quarter.
The South Hill squad walked into the locker room trailing 28–21 at the half. The Bombers’ ball possession caused a lot of problems for the team. By halftime, the team had 11 turnovers while also allowing the Thoroughbreds to rack in seven steals.
Going into the third, the Bombers found themselves playing some stellar defense but still could not get their shots to fall. Throughout the first five minutes, the two were neck and neck with only two points scored by each team.
With three minutes remaining in the quarter, the Bombers found themselves getting close after graduate student guard Cara Volpe made a smooth reverse layup to only trail by five. The Thoroughbreds answered back with five consecutive points to make the score 39–29.
The Bombers entered the fourth quarter with a spark of energy. The team scored 11 points in five minutes making the score 40–46. With 3:20 remaining in the contest, Volpe sunk both of her free throws, causing the student section to roar. Right after, Albertelli sunk a layup to cut the deficit to only two points.
With 0:24 remaining, senior guard Camryn Coffey hit a 3-pointer to make the Bombers bench electric and cut the deficit to 50–49. The Thoroughbreds answered back with three consecutive points and boosted their lead to four points. Emily Dorn answered back with a 3-pointer in the last three seconds, but it was not enough to overcome the final score.
After the emotional loss, Volpe expressed how much effort the team put into the game.
“We win and lose as a team,” Volpe said. “We put our best foot forward and tried our hardest, so it is what it is.”
The loss does not necessarily mark the end of the season for the Bombers. D3hoops.com ranked the South Hill squad as the No. 15 team in the country Feb. 19, meaning the Bombers are still in the hunt for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
