Ithaca Closes out 2010 with 94-86 Victory at Oneonta
Oneonta, N.Y. – The Ithaca men’s basketball team (7-2) outlasted host Oneonta (1-6) 94-86 in the Bombers final contest of 2010 to claim its fifth straight victory.
The game opened in Oneonta’s favor but the Bombers surged to challenge its lead on multiple occasions in the first and went on to secure a three-point 55-52 lead at the half. After seven lead changes, Ithaca gained the advantage for good with 11:43 lingering in the second stint when freshman guard Miles Grier (Druid Hills/Lilburn, Ga.) converted a non-traditional three-point play.
Placing five in double-digits for the fifth time this season and its fourth time surpassing the 90-point threshold, Ithaca was led by Grier with a game- and career-high 21 points. Senior center Phil Barera (Belmont/Belmont, Mass.) added 17 points and junior guard Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) had 15 as Oneonta dropped its third consecutive game.
Sophomore guard Sean Rossi (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.) and senior guard Chris Cruz-Rivas (West Genesee/Syracuse) each recorded 13. Rossi added a game-high eight assists, while Cruz-Rivas pulled down a team-best eight boards.
The Red Dragons opened action with five unanswered before a pair of Barera buckets put the Bombers on the board. After knotting the game at 7-7, Oneonta went on to lead by as many as seven points and held the edge until the Bombers pieced together an 8-0 run for a one-point go-ahead at 7:18. After exchanging buckets over the next five-plus minutes, a 10-3 Ithaca run ran out the clock and secured the Bombers’ 55-52 half-time gap. Ithaca’s 55 points is its highest first-half total of the season.
Ithaca was able to maintain its lead for the opening minutes of the second stint, but the Red Dragons went on to challenge and gained the advantage for over four minutes. After Grier’s three points put the Bombers ahead, Ithaca went on to lead by as many as 11 points at the 5:47 mark. Ithaca outlasted the Red Dragons down the stretch for a 94-86 final.