Bombers Lock Up Spot in Empire 8 Postseason with 77-63 Win at Alfred
Alfred, N.Y. – The Ithaca men’s basketball team (11-13, 8-5 Empire 8) secured a spot in the Empire 8 tournament with a 77-63 victory at Alfred (13-10, 5-8 Empire 8) on Saturday. The Bombers are the only team to qualify for all nine of the Empire 8 postseasons. The tournament will be held Feb. 24-25 at the site of the regular-season champion.
Despite an early five point Ithaca lead and a five-point Bomber gap at the break, 18 of the first 20 minutes of action proved to be a one-possession game. The contest was knotted 11 times in the first frame. Alfred fought back to tie the game twice in the latter half, but a 9-0 Ithaca streak secured the lead indefinitely for the Blue & Gold.
Junior Sean Rossi posted his 17th career double-double and third of the season with an 11 point, 12 rebound performance, while sophomore Tom Sweeney posted a game-high 19 points to lead the Bombers. Rookie Connor Rogers added career-highs of 15 points and three steals. Sophomore Frank Mitchell was the fourth Bomber to hit double digits with 11 points.
Mitchell and junior Andrei Oztemel each pulled down a team-high eight boards.
Ithaca jumped out to a 7-2 lead at 17:56, but the Saxons answered with a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game. It would stay that way until
Mitchell found
Rogers for a layup with two seconds lingering in the first to give the Bombers a 41-36 edge at the half.
The Bombers maintained its gap in the second until Alfred tied up the game at 15:03 and 14:12, but four Ithaca players combined for nine straight points to power to victory. The Saxons cut their deficit to three at 6:41, but Ithaca answered with eight consecutive to take a double-digit, 70-59, advantage. A scoreless minute ticked off the clock and Ithaca scored five of the final seven points of the contest to lock-up its postseason position.
Ithaca shot 47.5 percent from the hardwood, while the Saxons managed just 32.9 percent. Alfred narrowly outrebounded the Bombers, 43-40.