ITHACA, NY – The RIT women's basketball team heads to Ithaca this weekend to participate in the 2019 Liberty League Tournament. The No. 2 Tigers will take on No. 3 Vassar College in the second semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m. Top seed Ithaca College hosts No. 4 William Smith College with the winner meeting in Sunday's title game. The winner Sunday earns the automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
RIT enters the weekend 19-6 overall and are ranked second in the latest NCAA East Region rankings, which matches the highest regional ranking in program history. The Tigers enter the weekend riding the wave of an 11-game winning streak.
The Tigers are outscoring their opponents 797-552 during the last 11 games, averaging 72.4 points per game, while holding opponents to 50.2 points per contest. RIT closed out the regular season with an 81-49 win Bard College on Feb. 16.
Sabrina Wolfe (Troy, NY/Troy) led the Tigers with 24 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Tara Lynch (Green Township, NJ/Newton), the Liberty League Performer of the Week, tallied 19 points and four rebounds in the win.
RIT enters Saturday fourth in the Liberty League in scoring, averaging 67.6 points per game. The Tigers lead the league in assists (16.1 APG) and are second in the league, shooting 42.1 percent as a team. RIT is third, shooting 72.1 percent from the foul line. The Tigers feature four players averaging in double figures in scoring. Wolfe leads the team in scoring and is tied for fourth in the league, averaging 15.6 points per game. Lynch is second on the team and tied for ninth in scoring (13.0 PPG), while
Brooke Stanley (Minnetonka, MN/Benilde-St. Margaret's) averages 12.3 points and
Cori Okada (Fullerton, CA/Troy) averages 12.1 points per contest.
Okada leads the league in assists (4.9 APG), while Stanley leads the league, shooting 49.6 percent from the floor. Lynch is fifth in field goal percentage (44.8 percent), while freshman
Alyssa Juergens (Rochester, NY/Hilton) is tied for fifth in the league in assists (2.7 APG).
Defensively, RIT is third in the conference, allowing 57.4 points per game, and second, averaging 10.4 steals per game. Wolfe is second in the league, averaging 2.5 steals per game, while Okada is fifth (2.1 SPG) and Stanley is tenth (2.0 SPG). Lynch is sixth in the league, averaging 1.0 blocks per game.
Vassar advanced to Saturday's semifinal with a 71-53 win over No. 6 Skidmore College in Tuesday's first round game. Isa Peczuh led the Brewers with 26 points, on a school-record eight three-pointers, two blocks and two steals, while Sophie Nick finished with 21 points and five rebounds. Natalie Pettirossi chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Brewers enter the weekend third in the league in scoring (68.6 PPG), and lead the league in field goal percentage (43.5 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (34.5 percent) and free throw percentage (72.7 percent). Nick is fourth in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game, and leads the league, hitting 97.6 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. Peczuh is ninth in scoring (13.0 PPG, and leads the league in 3-point field goals made (3.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.5 percent).
Vassar is fifth defensively in the Liberty League allowing 58.1 points per game, and third in rebounding, averaging 41.7 caroms per game.
RIT and Vassar split the two regular season meetings this season, with each team winning on its home floor, RIT snapped Vassar's 16-game winning streak with a 72-58 win at Clark Gym on Feb. 8. Top-seeded Ithaca College will play William Smith College in the other semifinal, with the winners to play in the Liberty League Championship at Noon on Sunday, Feb. 24.
The Tigers are 2-0 versus William Smith, and 1-1 versus Ithaca this season. RIT, the 2017 Liberty League champion, is making its fourth straight Liberty League Tournament appearance this weekend. The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2018 NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time last season.
Ithaca:
- 20-5 Overall Record
- Won Liberty League regular season title (15-3)
- 4-1 record in last five games
- 2nd in Liberty League - scoring (68.6 PPG)
- 2nd in Liberty League – Scoring Defense (53.6 PPG Allowed)
- 5th in Liberty League – Rebounding (40.9 RPG)
William Smith College:
- 17-8 overall record
- Finished fourth in Liberty League regular season (12-6)
- Advanced to Semifinal with 65-50 win over Union College in First Round
- 4-1 in last five games
- Leads Liberty League - Scoring (69.0 PPG)
- 7th in Liberty League – Scoring Defense (59.0 PPG Allowed)
- 1st in Liberty League – Rebounding (48.2 RPG)
