Vassar Brewers Fall to Ithaca in League Action

By Amie Canfield

POUGHKEEPSIE – Senior guard KellyAnne O’Reilly notched a game and career-high 21 points and three others reached double-figures in leading Ithaca College past Vassar College in Liberty League women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Bombers are now 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the Brewers slip to 4-3 with a 1-1 mark in the Liberty League.

O’Reilly added four rebounds, an assist and two steals in the contest, while senior forward Cassidy O’Malley had 15 points and a game-best 14 rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks and a steal. Sophomore guard Cara Volpe posted 14 points with four assists and a block, while junior guard Megan Yawman had 11 points, three boards, three assists and a steal.

For the Brewers, senior guard Jackie Cenan led the way for the second straight game, posting 17 points with two boards, three assists and a steal. Classmate and forward Sophie Nick notched her fourth double-double of the season and second consecutive with a 15 point, 10 rebound effort, while also adding four assists and two steals. Freshman guard Emily Tincher led all players with three blocks.

Vassar opened with a narrow 20-18 edge following first quarter play, but the visiting Bombers bounced back, outscoring the home team by a 17-10 margin in the second stanza to head into the intermission with a 35-30 advantage.

The third quarter saw Ithaca extend its lead quickly as Yawman drained a three less than 30 seconds in. The Brewers went on a 6-0 run though soon after, aided by a pair of buckets from junior forward Natalie Pettirossi to cut the deficit to two (38-36) with 7:13 remaining.

Ithaca turned the score back around, going up by seven (45-38) after an O’Reilly layup at the 5:19 mark. O’Malley then pushed the Bombers into a double-digit lead, owning a 51-40 advantage with 2:54 to play. A three from Cenan and a pair of makes at the line from Nick sent the game into the fourth quarter with the homestanding Brewers down by six (51-45).

Vassar opened the final frame with four straight free throw makes, but O’Reilly continued to surge, pouring in a three-pointer and a layup in a one-minute span to put Ithaca up by seven (56-49). Her efforts were part of a 12-1 run that pushed the visitors out to a 63-50 edge with 5:45 left to play. Tincher sank a layup at 4:42 for the Brewers, adding a pair of free throw makes to cut the lead to nine (63-54) with 4:01 on the clock, but Ithaca once again capitalized with five straight free throws for a 69-56 lead. Cenan drove the lane for a shot with three seconds left, but the Bombers held on.