Men's Basketball Wins for Ithaca, St. John Fisher, Hartwick and Stevens on Friday

1/30/2015 10:42:38 PM

HARTWICK 72, Alfred 64

ALFRED, NY—The Alfred University men's basketball team fell in a tight Empire 8 matchup to visiting Hartwick, 72-64, Friday evening in the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
In a highly anticipated matchup in the Empire 8, the Saxons fell to the Hartwick College (10-8, E8 5-4) despite a massive crowd and an electric atmosphere.  The entire first half was a back-and-forth affair with seven lead changes and four ties.  The Hawks grabbed a late lead in the first on a Joe Krong three-point shot and carried the lead into the half 28-27.
 
Dalton Walsh (Stockton, NY/Cassadega Valley) led the Saxons in the first half with seven points despite getting into foul trouble and playing only 10 minutes.  Sophomore Eric Adams(Lebanon, NY/Hunterdon Central) cleaned up on the boards grabbing 5 rebounds for AU.
 
Walsh opened the second half for the Saxons and dropped a deep three to snag the lead.  The second half mirrored the first with both teams struggling to hold a lead.  There were 11 lead changes and five ties in the second stanza.
 
The Hawks managed to grasp a lead with 6:15 to go in the game on a Trevor North free throw and never released their grip to the final whistle.  As the final horn sounded Hartwick was on top, 72-64. 
 
Sophomore Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) paced the Saxons with 14 points and three assists; Adams ended the game with 13 points and eight assists falling just short of his second double-double in as many games; Walsh added 10 points and seven rebounds to the Saxons' tally.  Hartwicks Joey Lufkin paced the Hawks with 23 points for the game-high while Trevor Norton added 14 points and six rebounds.

ST. JOHN FISHER 80, Nazareth 63

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth fell to visiting St. John Fisher 80-63 Friday evening in a men's Empire 8 basketball contest. Junior Maurice Mills led the Golden Flyers with 18 points while classmates Mitch Ford and Nick Nadeau had 17 points and 12 points, respectively.

With the loss, Nazareth falls to 6-10 overall and 2-5 in Empire 8 games. Following the victory, the Cardinals improve to 16-2 overall and 9-0 in conference games. The Golden Flyers ran into a torrid Fisher team as the Cardinals have won their last 14 games and entered Friday's game ranked third in the nation in scoring margin at 17.2 points per game.

After trailing by double-digits throughout the majority of the second half, Nazareth trimmed its deficit seven points twice with about six minutes left in regulation. The Golden Flyers' 20-8 run brought Nazareth to within 64-57 with 6:25 to play. The run was ignited by a three-pointer by Nadeau, then followed by a free throw by sophomore Jack Mulcahy and a layup by classmateDan Morse. Mulcahy and Morse followed with a three-pointer apiece to bring Nazareth's deficit to under 10 points, 58-49. After trading baskets, Mulcahy connected on another shot from outside the arc to cut the Cardinals' margin to seven points.

Fisher responded with a 14-4 scoring run over the final 5:32 to pull away for the victory. The Golden Flyers held the Cardinals to one field goal in the final six minutes, however, Fisher connected on nine free throws in the final three minutes to secure the victory.

In the first half, Fisher opened the game with an 18-8 lead in the opening 6:43 thanks to 75 percent shooting in the opening minutes. Nazareth, meanwhile, was held to 21 percent shooting in the first minutes.

The Golden Flyers closed to within six points, 20-14, following a layup by Mills. The Cardinals answered with a 13-6 run to stretch their lead to double-digits. Fisher maintained its double-digit lead through the end of the first half. The Cardinals recorded 60 percent shooting (15-25) from the field and 91 percent (10-11) from the free throw line to maintain their lead.

In the opening period, Mills, Ford, and Nadeau combined for 27 of Nazareth's 29 points. Mills had 12 points and five rebounds to lead all players in both categories in the opening 20 minutes.

In addition to the 47 total points from Mills, Ford, and Nadeau,  Morse and Mulcahy each finished with seven points, and sophomore Colin McGlynn chipped in two points. Despite Fisher's 38-31 advantage in total rebounds, Ford led all players with a game-high 12 boards.

The Cardinals finished shooting over 55 percent (27-49) on their field goal attempts and used a balanced scoring attack to stymie Nazareth's rally hopes. Keegan Ryan amassed a game-high 20 points to lead five players who scored in double-figures.

ITHACA 98, Utica 85

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team defeated Utica Friday evening, completing the regular season series sweep of the Pioneers with a 98-85 victory at Ben Light Gymnasium. The win pushes the Bombers' overall record to 9-9, including a mark of 6-3 in the Empire 8. Utica falls to 8-12 overall and 4-7 in conference play.

The Bombers shot 46.6 percent from the floor, connecting on 34-of-73 total shots. Ithaca was 15-of-34 from beyond the arc, hitting 44.1 percent from three-point range. The Bombers' 15 three pointers tied a season high.

Freshman Marc Chasin led the Bombers with a career high 31 points in the victory. Chasin also recorded eight rebounds and five assists. Gitto ranked second on the Bombers with 21 points, pairing with a team high 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Freshman Carroll Rich chipped in with 15 points in the start, while junior Sam Bevan contributed nine points, five assists and four steals. Senior Max Masucci recorded a career high 10 rebounds.

With the score tied 3-3 just 1:25 into the game, the Pioneers went on a brief run to take the early lead. Utica outscored the Bombers 13-5 over the next five minutes, giving the Pioneers a 16-8 lead with 13:38 to play in the opening frame. Ithaca responded with 11-straight points to go up 19-16, putting the Bombers ahead for the first time in the half.  

The game then featured three ties, including a score of 27-27 with just under six minutes to play in the first. Ithaca took over the remainder of the half, closing the frame on an 18-6 run. The Bombers' run featured four three pointers and a GItto dunk, giving Ithaca the 45-33 edge at the break.

The Bombers continued to roll in the second half, pushing their lead over Utica to as high as 20 points on two separate occasions. Ithaca outscored the Pioneers 53-52 in the final frame, securing the Bombers' 98-85 conference victory.  

STEVENS 81, Houghton 63

HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team improved to 6-4 in the Empire 8 and 9-9 overall with an 81-63 win over Houghton College Friday night.
 
Stevens was led by sophomore guard Patrick Barron who hit five three-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points. The Ducks will visit Alfred University Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in a key Empire 8 showdown, putting a two-game win streak on the line against a Saxons team that defeated Stevens earlier in the year.
 
The Ducks jumped on top 7-0 thanks to four points from senior forward Patrick Sabatino and a triple from Barron. The Highlanders countered quickly to open a 13-9 margin, but the Ducks came right back to take a 16-15 lead following a three from sophomore guard Thomas Ahern. The Stevens lead jumped to seven (22-15) when Barron drilled another three, and nine at the 3:35 mark of the first following a Sabatino jumper.
 
Stevens took a six-point edge into intermission, and outscored the Highlanders 14-4 over the first 3:31 of the second half, opening a 47-31 lead. A Sabatino layup gave the Ducks their first double-digit margin of the night with 18:29 left, and three points each from Barron and sophomore guard Michael Langford before another Sabatino 17-footer had Stevens up 16.
 
An Ahern three-pointer midway through the second half handed the Ducks a 63-42 advantage, and Houghton could get no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
 
Barron added two rebounds and a steal to his 17 points, and Sabatino finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Otis Osman tallied nine points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists, with junior forward Alex Lorenz posting 11 points and six rebounds. Senior forward Kenny Gan grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, adding three points and a pair of thefts to his line, and Ahern finished with eight points (3-for-3 shooting). Langford had six points and three assists, with freshman guard Chris Cosgrove piling up a team-high four assists.
 
Stevens shot 46.2 percent (30-for-65) from the field and hit 10 of its 22 attempts from deep (45.5 percent). The Ducks were 11-for-15 at the line and held a 45-33 edge on the boards. The Ducks had eight steals as a team and 14 assists.
 
Stevens held Houghton (5-12, 1-8 Empire 8) to 33.3 percent (18-for-54) from the field and 8-for-23 from three. Houghton committed 17 turnovers, but did tally 11 team steals. The Highlanders were led by 11 points and 11 rebounds from junior center Tyler McQuaid.