Ithaca Honors Seniors, Clinches Playoff Bid & Routs Utica
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The women's basketball team (15-5, 11-0 Empire 8) clinched a berth in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament by rolling to a 75-61 win over visiting Utica (10-9, 6-4 Empire 8) on a day when the Bombers honored their seniors.
Ithaca, the only team to qualify for all eight Empire 8 Championship Tournaments, is the first team to secure a spot in the conference's postseason tournamen, which features the top four teams from the regular-season standings. The win extended Ithaca's league-record winning streak to 29 Empire 8 games.
The Bombers completed their season sweep of the Pioneers, raising their all-time series lead to 31-10. Ithaca held the Pioneers to 14 points over the first 12 minutes, carried a 44-22 lead into intermission and led by as many as 30 points in the second period.
Senior guard Jordan Confessore (South Brunswick/Kendall Park, N.J.), one of three senior players honored, scored 18 points, pulled down nine rebounds and added a pair of steals. Forward Elissa Klie (Ramapo/Wyckoff, N.J.), another senior, added 14 points, 10 rebounds (one short of her career-high), seven steals and four assists.
Freshman guard Jennifer Escobido (Norwich Free Academy/Lisbon, Conn.) recorded her first career double-double, scoring 16 points and adding personal-high totals of 11 rebounds and four steals. Ithaca's third senior, forward Jane DeBiasse (Chatham/Chatham, N.J.), made her second start of the season and collected five points, two assists, two steals and two rebounds.
Freshman guard Elisabeth Wentlent (Greene/Greene) notched eight points, three assists and three rebounds off the bench. The Pioneers received just one point from the their two subs during the game.
Ithaca dominated the boards, outrebounding Utica 48-31 (despite the Bombers' starting center not playing). The Pioneers entered the game ranked eighth nationally in field-goal percentage, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor, but Ithaca's defense held them to 33.3 percent in the first half and just 43 percent overall.
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