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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Host Ithaca bolted to a 9-2 lead in the game's opening minutes and never trailed thereafter as the Bombers went on to defeat Nazareth in women's basketball Friday, 58-35.

Nazareth dropped to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in Empire 8 Conference games. Ithaca is 8-5 overall and 4-0 in the conference.

Ithaca's Lindsay Brown led all scorers with 19 points on 8 for 10 shooting. She hit a three-pointer with just under 16 minutes to play in the first half to give the Bombers the early lead at 9-2. Nazareth rallied to tie the score 15-15 following a basket by Kelly Dunne with 5:40 left in the half, but the Bombers closed the half with an 11-2 scoring run to take control for good. Jessica Farley's three-pointer with :16 left in the half extended the lead to 26-17.

The Bombers' lead continued to grow in the second half, thanks to a 10-2 scoring run in the first four minutes to make the score 36-19. Ithaca outscored Nazareth 32-18 overall in the final 20 minutes.

Dunne and junior Rachel Pirozzolo each finished with seven points for the Golden Flyers, while senior Lizzie Barlow contributed five points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Nazareth made just 12 of 53 shots from the field for the game (22.6 percent) and were outrebounded 47-37.

The Golden Flyers return to action Tuesday as part of the annual JPMorgan Chase Scholarship Tournament. Nazareth hosts two first-round games Tuesday at 6:15 and 8:15 p.m. respectively. Seedings for the eight-team event will be revealed Sunday evening.