Pioneers, Bombers and Cardinals Open Up Conference Play with Wins
Utica 75, Hartwick 72
The Utica College men’s basketball team snapped host Hartwick College’s four game winning streak after a 75-72 victory in the Empire 8 Conference opener for both squads Tuesday night at Lambros Arena. Utica junior transfer Connor Maisch netted a career-high 25 points to help UC win its second straight and advance its record to 3-3 overall on the year.
Three other players scored in double-figures for UC including sophomore point guard Aaron Nevins (16), senior shooting guard Matt Baldwin (13) and junior forward Chris Jeffers (10). Jeffers also chipped in with a game-high 11 rebounds to record his third double-double of the young season. The Pioneers also snapped a six game losing streak against the Hawks which dated back to the 2008-09 season.
With the score knotted at 9-9 with 11:39 to go in the first half, the Hawks when on an 11-4 run to take a seven point advantage, 20-13, with 8:31 left before halftime. Hartwick pushed its lead to 10 points, 30-20, with 3:48 remaining but the Pioneers responded with an 11-3 run to trail by just two as the first half clock expired.
UC kept its momentum rolling in the second half by exploding with a 23-6 run to stretch their lead to as many as 15 points with 13:49 left in the contest. Maisch led UC with 13 points in the second half push. ‘Wick cut its deficit to single digits, 56-47, with just under ten minutes left to play, but the Pioneers answered right back with a 3-pointer from Baldwin to extend their lead back to 12 points.
Despite not making a field goal in the final 4:31 of play the Pioneers were able to knock down 9-of-12 free throws in the closing 3:03 of action to hang on for the three point Empire 8 victory.
Jared Suderley, of nearby West Canada Valley High School, netted 18 points and grabbed six rebounds but the Pioneers held the conference stand out to just 5-of-17 shooting from the floor. Kyle Bradley chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds, while Anthony Kane added 11 points and sex boards for the Hawks.
Jeff Ward grabbed nine rebounds, scored seven points and blocked three shots for UC. Utica knocked down seven 3-pointers and outrebounded the home squad 43-26 on the afternoon.
Ithaca 65, Elmira 52
The Ithaca College men's basketball team (3-2, 1-0 Empire 8) outscored visiting Elmira (0-6, 0-1 Empire 8), 40-24, in the second stint to claim a 65-52 victory in the Empire 8 opener for both teams Tuesday night at Ben Light Gymnasium.
After trailing 28-25 at intermission, the Bombers used a 16-4 run to open the second frame and claim the lead indefinitely. The Bombers shot 48 percent from the floor, highlighted by a 53.8 percent conversion rate in the second half. Elmira shot 37.5 percent for the game.
Three Bombers recorded double-digit performances with a game-high 15 points coming from the hands of
Tom Sweeney (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon). Junior
Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) posted 13 points and senior
Sean Rossi (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) 12. Rossi added a game-high seven assists and senior
Jordan Healey (Summit, N.J./Summit) swiped a contest-best three steals. Senior
Eli Maravich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) pulled down six boards for the Bombers, while two others added five and three had four.
Elmira opened the game with back-to-back buckets before Ithaca drained nine straight. The Soaring Eagles answered with a 14 of the next 16 points for an 18-11 edge at 10:10 and the lead for the remainder of the first. Trailing 28-21 at 2:46, Ithaca twice drove the lane to pull within 28-25 at the break.
The Bombers dominated the second from the whistle. Rossi dribbled down court and drove left on the inbound play to set the pace for Ithaca. The Bombers took a 14-point lead at the 13-minute mark after Maravich made a steal and sunk a pair of free throws on the resulting play.
The Soaring Eagles pulled within eight at 8:03, but that's as close as the visiting squad would get. A Sweeney jumper at 3:45 secured Ithaca's largest lead of the game, 63-48. The Bombers went on to finalize all scoring, 65-52.
Ithaca owns a 38-19 advantage in the series history with Elmira, with the Bombers winning 21 of the last 22 contests.
St. John Fisher 85, Alfred 40
The St. John Fisher College men's basketball used a 20-2 run in the first half to pace the Cardinals to a 85-40 win over visiting Alfred University on Tuesday at Fisher's Varsity Gym in the Empire 8 Conference season opener for both teams.
The 45-point margin is the largest victory since the Cardinals defeated Keuka College 108-57 in November of 1999.
Alfred led 4-2 in the opening moments, but the Cardinals went on a 12-0 run to take a double-digit lead with 13:18 left on a 3-pointer from
Justin Plata.
The Saxons trailed 16-10 with just over 11 minutes left in the half before Fisher began to pull away. Three blocked shots in a five-second span by senior center
Jason Norsen, followed by 3-pointers from
Jackson Burke and Plata, highlighted a 20-2 run over an eight-minute span that put the Cardinals in control.
Fisher led 39-16 at the break and quickly pushed its lead to 30 points, as Norsen scored nine of his 17 points in the opening five minutes of the second stanza and the Cardinals never looked back.
Thad Wier finished with 17 points, three assists and three steals. The sophomore hit five of Fisher's 12 3-pointers on the evening.
Plata snagged a team-high eight rebounds and scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half, while junior-transfer
Matt Cooney came off the bench and chipped in with eight points.