Ithaca Upsets Top-Seeded Hartwick To Reach Empire 8 Final
Oneonta, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Ithaca men’s basketball team (13-13) closed the first half on a 20-6 run and upset top-seeded Hartwick (23-3) on Friday night in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. The Bombers advance to the Empire 8 championship game for the first time since the inception of the conference tournament in 2004. They will face second-seeded Nazareth Saturday at 4 p.m. at Hartwick with the league’s automatic bid at stake.
After powering to a 40-26 lead at the break, Ithaca allowed the Hawks back within five at the 12-minute mark of the second, 53-48. Ithaca answered with a 13-4 run to reinstate a double-digit lead and power to victory. Hartwick twice cut within seven, but Ithaca hit 6-of-7 from the line over the final 1:30 to seal the win.
The Bombers were led by sophomore Tom Sweeney with 21 points with three others chipping in double-digit performances. Senior Jordan Marcus drained 14 and added a game-best three steals, while junior Andre Oztemel added 13 points and six boards. Rookie Connor Rogers pulled down a career-high 11 boards to lead the Bombers on the glass and added nine points.
Junior Sean Rossi had 10 points and a game-best seven assists for the Blue & Gold. Rossi has 245 assists on the season – enough to place him on the NCAA Division III top-20 list for most season assists. He also earned a spot on the list in 2011 with 263.
A back-and-forth battle opened action before the Bombers pieced together their 20-6 run. The Bombers snapped a 20-20 tie with seven straight points. The Hawks would break a 2:42 scoring drought with two at the charity stripe at 6:04, before the Bombers netted back-to-back layups to lead 31-23. Hartwick brought the game within seven, 33-26, at 4:53, but the Bombers posted seven points and held the host squad scoreless to lead, 40-26, at intermission.
Hartwick scored six of the first seven points of the second stint but Ithaca responded with a Sweeney layup and a Rogers trey to take a 46-32 lead at 17:43. The Hawks dwindled Ithaca’s lead to five at 12:00, but again Ithaca cruised to a 14-point lead with a 13-4 streak. Hartwick made it a seven-point contest at 4:38 and 3:32, but that’s as close as it would come as a
Marcus three secured an indefinite double-digit Ithaca lead at 3:19. Despite a 12-for-17 performance from the free throw line for the game, Ithaca swished 6-of-7 over the final 90 seconds to ice the victory.
The Hawks committed 14 turnovers to Ithaca’s eight allowing the Bombers 21 points off turnovers. The teams had near identical shooting performances as Ithaca was 43.9 percent from the floor and Hartwick 42.6 percent. The Hawks held a 41-38 edge on the boards.
Ithaca accounted for two of the Hawks’ three losses this season.