Ithaca set to host women's basketball championships
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team will host the Empire 8 Conference Championship in Ben Light Gymnasium for the seventh consecutive season on Feb. 27-28 after posting a 15-1 regular season mark in league contests. The last time the conference tournament did not take place at Ithaca was during the 2007-08 season, which was held at Stevens.
Tournament Game Times
Friday, Feb. 27 - Semifinals
No. 1 Ithaca vs. No. 4 Nazareth – 6 p.m. Live Stats | Video | Radio
No. 2 Stevens vs. No. 3 St. John Fisher – 8 p.m. Live Stats | Video | Radio
Saturday, Feb. 28 – Final
Semifinal Winners – 4 p.m. Live Stats | Video | Radio
Breaking Down the Championship
No. 1 Ithaca Bombers (21-4, 15-1 E8)
Ithaca has won eight straight games after dropping its lone Empire 8 matchup to Fisher on Jan. 24 and will look to claim its fourth consecutive conference crown. The Bombers have won each of the past eight contests by an average of 23.6 points per game. Ithaca is the definition of a balanced attack, as nine players have scored over 100 points this season, and just one averages double-digits in scoring. Sophomore
Ali Ricchiuti leads the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game, senior
Francesca Cotrupe paces Ithaca in rebounding at 7.8 per contest and classmate
Samantha Klie is tops in assists (86) and steals (43). Senior
Ally Mnich contributes 8.8 points a game, while junior
Keri Steele shoots 48.9-percent from the field and 39.7-percent from three-point range. Senior
Geena Brady, sophomores
Erin Ferguson and
Alex Gilligan, and freshmen
Jordan Beers,
Erin Woop and
Julie Yacovoni all see significant minutes off the bench for the Bombers.
No. 2 Stevens Ducks (22-3, 14-2 E8)
Stevens suffered its only two losses in conference to Ithaca and is two wins shy from a program record in victories. The Ducks have also lost just once on the road all season (10-1) and boast a stingy defensive unit which ranks 14th nationally in field goal percentage defense (32.2). Along with that, Stevens is tops in the Empire 8 in offensive field goal percentage (42.4) and first in rebounding margin (6.8). Junior Kaitlyn Astel is the conference's leading scorer at 16.6 points per game and leads the Ducks in rebounding at 6.6 per outing. Fellow juniors Miranda Ripken (8.6 PPG, 46.5 FG%) and Dylan Krause (7.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 92.6 FT%) have started all 25 games this season, while sophomore Brittany Washington averages 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game off the bench. Freshman Anna Toke has averaged 12.0 rebounds over her last three games.
No. 3 St. John Fisher Cardinals (19-6, 12-4 E8)
Fisher brings the conference's top scoring offense into Ben Light this weekend at 72.2 points per game. The Cardinals had won six straight games until the regular season finale, where they fell at Stevens, 73-64. Senior Portia Velasco and junior Mary Kate Cusack are the go-to players for Fisher. Velasco ranks sixth in the E8 in scoring at 14.9 per game, second in field goal percentage (48.4) and third in free throw percentage (78.5). Cusack is second in points per game at 16.5 and finished just two points shy of tying Astel for a share of the scoring title. She is first in three-pointers made with 58, first in steals with 82 and fourth in field goal percentage at 43.5. Senior Sydney Bloomstein is a force down low for Fisher at 9.0 points per game and 6.2 rebounds, while sophomore Emily Piacentini tallies 7.7 points per contest in a reserve role.
No. 4 Nazareth Golden Flyers (15-10, 10-6 E8)
The Golden Flyers round out this year's conference championship and pose as a threat to knock off the other three teams. Despite a 1-5 record against the field, Nazareth trailed by double-digits just once at halftime, and was within five points on three occasions. Junior Lindsey Kelly averages a double-double per game at 15.2 points and 10.2 rebounds, and is also first in the E8 in field goal percentage at 60.3. Fellow junior Veronica Peck is tops in the conference in shooting from behind the arc at 38.5-percent and first in assists with 88. Junior Sam Sorge ranks first for Nazareth in free throw shooting at 82.0-percent and three-point percentage (38.8), and second in scoring at 11.5 per game. Another junior, Julia Brew, adds 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for the Golden Flyers.
All games this weekend will be available via live stats, radio and video. Click the tournament homepage link below to access live coverage and more information on the Empire 8 Women's Basketball Tournament.