One lead change at the seven-minute mark of the opening quarter was all it took for the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team. They narrowly took down Ithaca on the road Friday night, 58-55, in a game where the Saints led often, but never took their advantage into double digits.

With the win, the Saints improve their overall record to 14-6, and their conference record to 9-4. They have strung together five straight wins heading into their Saturday contest at RIT. St. Lawrence will enter that contest tied for third in the Liberty League, while RIT is tied for first.

"We won ugly today. We made so many poor decisions during the game including a lot on the final minutes. We did execute the late out of bounds play perfectly to Norah, and she cashed two free throws to get us up three again with seven seconds left. Then on defense, both Stevie and Norah made great plays to force an airball."

"Games aren't always won 'pretty' – sometimes you have to grind them out. Coming off a four-hour bus ride and to grind it out at Ithaca, a place we haven't done well historically, I'm really proud of the team."

The Saints established an early defensive tone in the first quarter, limiting Ithaca to just nine points. Mason Baker-Schlendering opened the scoring for St. Lawrence with a jumper in the paint, while Izzy Caron and Elizabeth Flynn added key buckets to help build a 15-9 lead by the end of the period.

In the second quarter, the Saints' cushion fluctuated and ended on a four-point lead after the Bombers outscored them by two. Baker-Schlendering continued her efficient play inside, while Margaret Dougher provided a spark off the bench by knocking down a pair of three-pointers. The Saints headed into the locker room with a 30-26 advantage, shooting nearly 47 per cent from the floor in the first half.

St. Lawrence managed only 10 points in the third, but their defense remained stout, holding the Bombers to 13 points and preventing them from taking the lead. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle that came down to the final seconds. After Ithaca pulled within one at 56-55 with eight seconds left, Norah Niesz drew a late foul and sunk both shots to help the Saints walk off the court with a win.

Those made free throws gave Niesz a team-high 12 points in the game. Flynn had 10 points to add to her double figures in boards for a double double. Dougher posted a season-high 11 points off the bench, and was her first time in double figures since exactly two years' prior, when she dropped 14 against SUNY Poly on February 6, 2024.

The Saints and Tigers will tip off their Liberty League contest Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., as two of the best in the conference go head-to-head.