ITHACA, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team outscored Ithaca College by eight points after halftime to hold off Bombers and earn its fifth straight Liberty League victory with a 58-51 win on Saturday afternoon at Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
The victory keeps Union (9-3, 5-0 Liberty League) atop the conference standings and gives the team its best conference start to a season since 2003-04, when Union won its first 10 league games of the year on the way to a conference title. The win also marks the program's triumph in Ithaca in nine attempts since the Bombers joined the conference in 2017.
 
Senior Jelena Perovic posted the only double-double on the day with team-highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds, followed by sophomore Olivia Cunningham with 13 points and eight boards. Senior Grace Ceseretti also reached double figures with 12 points, while classmates Grace Ardito and Kate Peek chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.
 
After a hot shooting day yesterday, Union connected on just 35.3 percent (6 of 17) of its shots in the first period on Saturday, but still managed a 14-13 lead. The visitors hit their first three shots of the afternoon to take an early 6-0 advantage 1:18 into the game, but then managed only three field goals for the remainder of the period. A three by Ceseretti and a Perovic layup built up an 11-4 lead, and a three-point play by Cunningham in the final seconds ensured the visitors had an edge headed into the second.
 
The Garnet Chargers shot slightly better in the second period, but were outscored by two to go into the break down by a point. Ardito had a team-best five points in the frame, including giving the team its largest lead after a layup made the score 19-15 2:46 in. An 11-5 Ithaca run put the Bombers back in front inside the final minute before a layup by Perovic made it a 28-27 game after 20 minutes.
 
Union shot just 37.9 percent (11 of 29) from the field and only 2-of-10 from long range in the first two periods of play, while also turning the ball over nine times.
 
The visitors outscored their Ithaca counterparts by a 19-12 margin in the third period, hitting 7-of-13 shots (53.8 percent) from the field to take a two-possession lead into the final frame. Cunningham and Peek had seven points each to head the Garnet Charger charge, with Cunningham starting the period with five straight points to take a 32-30 lead. A Cunningham jumper started an 8-1 run to finish the frame, with Peek supplying the last six points by herself.
 
Union scored seven of the fourth period's first nine points to open up the first double-digit lead of the day at 52-42 with 6:24 left. Trailing by a game-high 11 after a layup from junior Morgan Schultz, Ithaca (5-8, 2-3 Liberty League) stormed back with eight straight points – helped by three Union turnovers – to get back within three at 54-51 with 2:25 on the clock. However, the Union defense tightened up to force turnovers on the Bombers' next two possessions to keep the lead at three with under 30 seconds to go, and Peek went to the line to sink two clutch freebies with 24.1 seconds remaining to make it a 56-51 game. Another good defensive possession and two Ardito free throws followed to seal the win.
 
Union finished the afternoon shooting 40.7 percent (22 of 54) from the field despite a 3-of-16 effort from long range, but locked down on the defensive end to limit the Bombers to 32.3 percent (21 of 65) shooting overall.
 
The Garnet Chargers will return home for the first time in 2026 on Tuesday, as they kick off a busy week of Liberty League play with a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Rochester Institute of Technology.