Ithaca Men’s Basketball Upends Alfred, 104-51
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca men’s basketball team (10-2, 3-0 Empire 8) tallied its eighth consecutive victory and remained perfect in the Empire 8 with a solid 104-51 victory over visiting Alfred (5-5, 0-2 Empire 8) on Friday night in Ben Light Gymnasium.
The Bombers’ 53-point victory proved to be the second largest margin of victory in program history, with the first coming on Feb. 14, 1967 against visiting Utica, 122-53. Ithaca also held its opponent to the lowest point total since Jan. 16, 2009 when the Bombers claimed a 56-49 victory over Oneonta.
Ithaca shot season-bests of 60.6 percent from the floor (40-for-66) and 59.3 percent from beyond the arc (16-for-27), while its 16 three-pointers matched the second highest in program history. The Bombers have drained 16 treys three times this season.
Sophomore guard Sean Rossi (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.) threaded the needle for 12 assists and added 11 points to notch his fifth double-double of the season, while senior guard Chris Cruz-Rivas (West Genesee/Syracuse) added 18 points and 10 boards for his third during the 2010-11 campaign. Senior center Phil Barera (Belmont/Belmont, Mass.) and sophomore forward Andrei Oztemel (Staples/Westport, Conn.) both reached double-figures with 18 and 15, respectively, while Barera flirted with a double-double of his own pulling down eight off the glass.
Numerous career-highs were set as the Bombers cleared their bench and allowed all 15 players time on the hardwood. Sophomore guard Eric Halejian (Ramapo/Wyckoff, N.J.) sparked to set career-bests of eight points and three assists, while junior guard Joe Zenz (Our Lady of Lourdes/Poughkeepsie) tallied six points and three boards. Sophomore center Sinjin Wightman (New Paltz/New Paltz) and sophomore guard Jordan Healey (Summit/Summit, N.J.) each pulled down five of the Bombers’ 52 rebounds, to name just a few.
Ithaca opened the action on a 9-0 run and went on to secure a double-figure cushion just six minutes in to the game which they never surrendered. The Bombers continued to pressure the Saxons and increased the gap to 28 points as they held the visitors to just three points over a nine minute span. Ithaca went on to take a 58-24 margin into the locker room at the half. The 58 points is Ithaca’s highest first-half total of the season after tallying 55 at Oneonta in December.
Alfred was competitive to open the second stint as the Bombers outscored the Saxons by just one point, 15-14, over the first 5:29 of action. But it was the final 8:42 of action that ultimately secured the Bombers’ 53-point bulge as the Saxons were held scoreless until the final buzzer sounded.
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