ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT women's basketball team held Bard to just six fourth-quarter points as the No. 23 Tigers (13-4, 6-2 Liberty League) pulled away from the Raptors (5-12, 0-8 Liberty League), winning 72-50 on Saturday afternoon from Clark Gym.
 
Jessica Glaz (Rockaway Beach, NY/Scholars Academy) lead all scorers with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, adding four assists. Tara Lynch (Green Township, NJ/Newton) scored 12 points, adding eight rebounds, while Jessica Shields (Lyons, NY/Newark) added a career-high 10 points.
 
Bianka Bell finished with 21 points to lead the Raptors, while Sarah Morris and Tytravia Riley each added 10.

The Tigers held Bard to just 37 percent shooting from the field, while RIT recovered from a cold-shooting first half to shoot 40 percent overall in the contest.

RIT led virtually the whole way, starting the game with a 12-6 run, capping it with a 3-pointer from Kara Birrell (Keego Harbor, MI/Walled Lake). In the second quarter, the Tigers pushed that lead further, going on a 10-2 spurt to push the lead to double digits at 24-12.
 
In the second half, Bell scored the first nine of the team's 13 points as Bard stormed back, reducing the lead to 36-34. RIT responded, but were only able to hold a 47-44 lead going into the fourth quarter.
 
From there, the Tigers made their first six shots of the final period, pulling away from the Raptors with a 17-3 run, as RIT outscored Bard 25-6 in the fourth quarter to finish a successful first week as a nationally ranked team.

"The fourth quarter was huge and we played like we are capable of playing all the time," said RIT women's basketball head coach Amy Reed. "We don't play Tuesday, so the rest will give us an opportunity to continue to improve and get ready for another important weekend."

The Tigers have scored at least 22 points in the fourth quarter in each of the last five games, out-scoring their opponents, 117-83 over that span.
 
With the win, the Tigers have won three straight Liberty League contests, and are undefeated at home with a 4-0 record. They sit in second place in the conference behind Union, a half-game behind at the midway point.

This is by far the best start to a season in program history. RIT is just two wins shy of the school record (15), set during the 2006-07 season.
 
RIT will continue its homestand next weekend with a matchup against Rensselaer at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan, 29. The Tigers will also host Skidmore at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30.