Bombers Power Past Stevens to Win Empire 8 Championship
The second-seeded Ithaca men's basketball team (19-8) powered to a 70-55 victory over top-seeded Stevens (22-5) to win the 2013 Empire 8 men's basketball title. With the win, Ithaca claimed the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
The Bombers will return to the NCAA playoffs for the fourth time in five years and for the 12th time in program history. Stevens will await a potential at-large bid. The Ducks have been to the NCAA once in program history: 2006-07 making a run to the sweet 16. Pairings for the field will be announced Monday at 12:30.
NCAA selection show
Ithaca defeated Stevens for the second time this season, and the Bombers handed the Ducks two of their five overall losses so far this year. Travis Warech led the way for Ithaca with 25 points that included three 3-point baskets and eight points from the free-throw line, where the Bombers were an effective 15-for-19 in the game.
Frank Mitchell earned Empire 8 tournament Most Valuable Player honors. He had 11 points in the championship game with six rebounds and an assist. Mitchell had 21 points in Ithaca's semifinal win over St. John Fisher.
Ithaca's only deficit of the game was after Stevens scored the first basket of the game, but the Bombers responded with a 3-pointer from Sean Rossi and never trailed again. There were two ties midway through the first half, the last of which came at 14-14 with 12:13 left, but the Bombers responded with three straight 3-pointers. Two of those came from Warech and the third from Joey Ross.
The Bombers led 34-27 at halftime and extended the margin to as many as 16 points midway through the second half after opening the half with a 17-8 run over the first nine minutes. Tom Sweeney capped the run with a jumper. Rossi added seven assists in the game to his NCAA Division III record, set Friday night, and now has 933 assists in his career.
Eli Maravich scored nine points and Sweeney added eight for Ithaca. Warech led the Bombers with 10 rebounds.
Matt Skrelja finished with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals to lead the Ducks, while Patrick Sabatino added 14 points and three rebounds. Russ Thompson had 11 points and six boards.
Warech joined Mitchell on the all-tournament team along with Matt Skrelja of Stevens, Justin Plata of St. John Fisher and Chris Jeffers of Utica.
This will be Ithaca's 12th trip to the NCAA Tournament, and the Bombers have made the tournament field for three consecutive years including this season.
2012-13 All-Tournament Team
MVP - Ithaca College - #31 Frank Mitchell – Junior – Forward – Hillsborough, N.J.
Ithaca College – #21 Travis Warech – Senior - Guard/Forward – Pine Brook, N.J.
Stevens Institute of Technology – #21 Matt Skrelja – Junior – Guard – Clark, N.J.
St. John Fisher College - #21 Justin Plata – Senior – Forward – Wheatley Heights, N.Y.
Utica College - #24 Chris Jeffers – Junior – Forward – Albany, N.Y.