Alfred Edges Elmira; Ithaca Beats Utica
Alfred 68, Elmira 64
The Alfred University men’s basketball team topped Elmira College, in a 68-64 decision to resume conference play Tuesday evening, at McLane Center.
Sophomore center Dalton Walsh (Stockton, NY/Cassadaga Valley) got off to a quick start, scoring 13 points in the first half to help give the Saxons the 35-30 advantage at the half.
AU would sustain their lead throughout the game until the eight minute mark when Elmira brought the score to 49-48, trailing by only one. Both teams would then share the lead back-and-forth until junior guard Thomas Tsatsis (Neponsit, NY/Townsend Harris) (nine points, four rebounds) would seal the game for Alfred with a clutch free throw.
For the game, AU outshot Elmira from the field with 47 percent and from beyond the arc with 27 percent. Alfred also shot 64 percent from the free throw line.
Walsh would finish with a game-high 19 points and pull down four rebounds to pace the Saxons. Senior guard Tim Costello (Windsor, NY/Windsor) and senior guard Sean Curran (Honesdale, PA/Honesdale) also scored 13 and nine points, respectively.
Ithaca 89, Utica 71
The Ithaca College men’s basketball team (8-3, 4-0 Empire 8) powered to an 89-71 victory over host Utica (4-9, 2-3 Empire 8) Tuesday night at the Clark Athletic Center.
The Bombers shot a solid 54.1 percent from the floor in winning their fifth straight game. Ithaca outscored Utica, 47-24, in the second stint to rewrite a five-point halftime deficit. The Pioneers drained 54.3 percent of their shots in the first before hitting a cold 8-for-26, 30.8 percent, in the latter frame.
Senior Travis Warech and junior Frank Mitchell each put up a game-high 24 points, a career-high for Warech, while senior Eli Maravich added 13. Warech had a game-high nine rebounds. Senior Jordan Healey added nine points and career-highs of eight boards and six assists, in addition to three steals.
The game bounced back-and-forth early. Ithaca used an 8-0 run to take a 13-8 lead five minutes into play, but the Pioneers answered with a streak of their own, claiming a 34-24 gap at 7:48. The Bombers cut within one at the three-minute mark, though Utica stretched its lead to five, 47-42, at intermission.
A Maravich three knotted action at 57-57 at 15:37 of the second to tip off 13 unanswered Ithaca points that claimed the Bombers the lead indefinitely. The Pioneers thrice cut their deficit to single digits, but the Bombers hit 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in the second half to seal the win.
The Pioneers held a 35-30 edge in rebounds, but owned the turnover count 12-8.