Bombers Thwart Elmira's Upset Bid With 75-70 Win
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca men’s basketball team (7-9, 4-1 Empire 8) rallied for a 75-70 win over visiting Elmira (0-15, 0-5 Empire 8) on Friday night at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers are in a three-way tie for first place in the conference, sharing the honor with Stevens and Nazareth.
The victory was Ithaca’s 20th straight over the local opponent, though the Soaring Eagles didn’t make it easy for the Blue & Gold. Ithaca battled to an eight-point lead twice in the first half, but Elmira used a 9-0 spurt to claim an advantage for itself. The Soaring Eagles rewrote the two-point lead Ithaca held at the half with eight consecutive to open the second, but over a nine minute stint the Bombers would outscore Elmira, 19-7, to secure the lead indefinitely.
Junior Andrei Oztemel (Staples/Westport, Conn.) posted a game-high 20 points, highlighted by five three-pointers, while sophomore Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough/Hillsborough, N.J.) added 12 points and a team-high eight boards. Junior Sean Rossi (Sparta/Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) had game-best numbers of 12 assists and four steals.
Ithaca opened action with an early edge, but Elmira kept within striking distance and tied it up, 13-13, at 13:13. The Bombers drained back-to-back treys and a jumper to take 21-13 lead at the 11-minute mark. Nine unanswered Soaring Eagle points soon followed to award the visiting squad its first lead of the game at 5:28. The advantage bounced back-and-forth over the waning minutes of the first half. A Mitchell drive on a Tom Sweeney (Wissahickon/Ambler, Pa.) assist beat the buzzer to provide a 35-33 Bomber lead at intermission.
Eight consecutive opened the second frame in Elmira’s favor before the Bombers got hot from behind the arc. Four Ithaca buckets led to a 10-3 run and a 45-44 Bomber edge at 13:26. Elmira twice tied the game before the Bombers pieced together another 10-3 showing for a double-digit advantage at 5:37.
After taking a 68-57 lead at the four-minute mark, Ithaca surrendered 11 of the next 14 points, allowing Elmira within three, 71-68, with 31 ticks lingering. Freshman Connor Rogers (Liverpool/Liverpool) drained a pair from the charity stripe, as did
Oztemel, who leads the country with a 93.2 percent performance at the line, to seal the victory for Ithaca.
Ithaca, who is 4-1 in Ben Light Gymnasium this season, shot 56.5 percent for the game, while Elmira was held to a 47.5 percent showing. The Soaring Eagles outrebounded the Bombers, 36-25.