Ithaca and Stevens Set to Host Men's Basketball Semifinals on Friday
Top-seeded Ithaca College and second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology will each host a semifinal contest in the Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Friday at 8 p.m.
The Bombers (13-3 conference, 20-5 overall), who earned the top seed with dominating road wins over the second and third seeds this weekend, will face fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College (10-6, 14-11). Ithaca swept the season series, 101-95 at home on Jan. 8 and 85-71 at Fisher on Feb. 11. The Cardinals, the preseason favorite to win the conference, won five consecutive Empire 8 titles from 2003-07 and advanced to the title game last season. The Bombers, seeded first for the third time in four years, are seeking their first Empire 8 tournament win.
The Ducks (12-4, 19-6) play third-seeded Hartwick College (10-6, 15-10), which is making its first tournament appearance. The teams split home wins with Stevens avenging an 82-78 loss on Jan. 25 with a 72-57 victory on Tuesday. The Ducks won seven consecutive conference games before falling to Ithaca on Saturday. The Hawks dropped three of their final four regular season games by an average of 17 points per defeat.
The championship game will be played on Sunday at the site of the highest remaining seed. If the host institution is hosting both the men's and women's championship, the men will tip-off at 2 p.m. If the men's final is a stand-alone contest, the game will start at 1 p.m.