HOUGHTON, N.Y. – In a game played at a sprint, the Ithaca Bombers' high-pressure defense provided enough chaos to defeat the Houghton Highlanders on Thursday night, 67-53.
 
The Bombers pressed, trapped and pressured all night long, creating 28 Houghton turnovers and 23 conversion points. 
 
While Houghton forced 20 turnovers of their own, they were unable to keep up with the pace of the Bombers down the stretch.
 
Ithaca's deep bench capitalized on the frenetic style of play, as 11 Bomber players made their way into the scoring column and the reserves scored a total of 28 points.  
 
Game Vitals
Score: Houghton – 67 | Ithaca – 53
Records: Houghton: 7-8 (1-5 Empire 8) | Ithaca:  12-3 (4-2 Empire 8)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 151

Key Moments
>> Early on it looked like Houghton might have an answer for the high-pressure defense.
 
With 1:30 remaining in the quarter, Laurie Call nailed a three for the Highlanders to put them up by six, but the Bombers sank a layup to cut the Highlander lead to 16-12 at the end of the first.
 
>> Ithaca quickly gained the lead in the second quarter, but a pair of Houghton free-throws, a three by Hannah Manwaring, and a layup by Cori Beck quickly put the Highlanders up by five.
 
With only three second remaining in the half, Houghton had the ball and a one-point lead.  Following a missed layup, though, the Highlanders fouled an Ithaca player, who sank both free throws to finish the half with the Bombers up by one.
 
>> The Bombers began to separate in the third, outscoring the Highlanders by six.  After the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Houghton would come no closer than seven points as Ithaca continued to extend their lead.
 
Key Stats
>> In the first half Ithaca made only four field goals, shooting only 23 percent from the floor, but the Bombers sank 12 free throws to keep them in the game.  In the second half, the Bombers shot 15-of-33 (46 percent), including 60 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter.

>> Houghton outshot the Bombers, by percentage, from the floor, 39-to-34 percent.  The Bombers, however, managed 20 more shots than the Highlanders for the game, thanks in large part to a 17-3 advantage in offensive rebounds.

>> Madison Detwiler tied her season-high total of 17 points to lead the Highlanders in scoring.  Elle Reed chipped in 11 points, while Hannah Manwaring and Emily Swanson added eight points apiece.
 
>> Ali Ricchiuti posted a game-high 23 points for the Bombers, and Annie Giannone collected an impressive seven steals.

Next Time Out
The Highlanders return to action on Saturday when they travel Utica College to take on the Pioneers at 2:00 p.m.