Potsdam, NY – With 12 free throws in the final quarter, Ithaca College was finally able to pull away from the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team as the Bombers edged out the Golden Knights, 72-64, Friday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights saw their record drop to 8-12 overall and 5-10 in the Liberty League, while the 11th-ranked Bombers moved to 20-2 and 15-0. Clarkson finishes off the home portion of its schedule on Saturday when the team hosts Rensselaer.

Clarkson held a narrow four-point lead after a pair of free throws from Bella Doyle, but that was the largest lead that either team would take in the first quarter. The two teams seesawed back and forth for most of the period, though Clarkson was able to maintain a lead down the stretch thanks to 3-pointers from Mariah Benavides and Cassidy Dumont. At the start of the second, Clarkson pushed its margin to seven (23-16) after a jumper from Bella Doyle at 7:42, but Ithaca went on a 12-0 run, and a 16-2 run overall, over the course of five minutes, capped by a Lindsey Albertelli make with 2:28 remaining. The Knights closed to within four briefly after a Dumont jumper, but the Bombers responded at the other end to take a six-point lead at the break.

The game remained close throughout the third, with the Knights tying the game at 38-38, and briefly taking the lead on two occasions, with Raelin Burns sinking a 3-pointer at 5:50 (43-42) and Cassidy Dumont making two free throws in the final minute (49-48). However, two free throws from Ithaca's Natalie Smith put the Bombers back on top through three quarters.

In the fourth, Ithaca finally gave itself some breathing room, as Cara Volpe made a layup at 7:10 to put the gap at seven points and forcing Clarkson to call for a timeout. The advantage expanded to as many as 11 points with four minutes remaining, but the Knights would not quit, as Lauryn Withrow sunk a 3-pointer at 3:29 to end a scoring drought, and Cassidy Dumont made a pair of free throws with about 90 seconds remaining to reduce the gap to three. However, Ithaca made enough free throws down the stretch for a safe eight-point win.

Cassidy Dumont led the Golden Knights with 20 points while also adding in five rebounds. Elaina Porter chipped in 16 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the floor, and added eight rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Mariah Benavides also tossed in nine points and added four assists.

For Ithaca, Lindsey Albertelli scored 17 points, going 8-for-15 from the floor, and also had six rebounds, with five on the offensive glass. Natalie Smith went 9-for-10 from the free throw line for 13 points and Camryn Coffey scored 10 points coming off the bench.