Ithaca, St. John Fisher, Alfred Get Friday Wins in Men's Basketball
ST. JOHN FISHER 82, Elmira 66
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's basketball team picked up its 16th consecutive win on Friday night, as the host Cardinals picked up an 82-66 win over Elmira College at Fisher's Bobby Wanzer Court.
With the win, No. 24 Fisher improves to 18-2 overall and 11-0 in the Empire 8 Conference, while the Soaring Eagles fall to 7-12, 4-6.
The 16 straight wins is the fourth-longest winning streak in the program's 52-year history, while the 18-2 start marks the fourth time Fisher has won 18 of its first 20 games.
With five games to go, the Cardinals have a four-game lead in the Empire 8 standings. If Fisher clinches the regular-season title, it will host the Empire 8 Conference Championship on February 27-28 with the winner of the four-team tournament earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
Elmira led 11-6 with 13:58 remaining period, but Fisher went on a 20-2 run over the next eight minutes to take the lead for good.
Stefan Bock and
Tyler Hart combined to score the first 13 points during the pivotal run, while
Adam Ambielli capped the spurt with a 3-pointer to put Fisher up 26-13 with 6:15 left.
Fisher, who led 40-26 at the break, pushed its lead to 22 points at 58-36 with 13:17 left after five straight points from
Chaz Lott, but the Soaring Eagles refused to go away.
Elmira, who made six 3-pointers in the second half, cut the lead to singles at 68-60 with 5:47 remaining. The Cardinals, however, scored the next seven points – all of which came from Hart – who finished with a career-high 21 points.
Bock was a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor and finished with 20 points, two blocked shot and two steals.
Keegan Ryan finished with 12 points and a team-high rebounds, while Lott tallied nine points and four assists.
Charles McVay also chipped in with four assists. Senior
Optimystik Kinard added eight points in the win.
ALFRED 67, Nazareth 60
ALFRED, NY—Saxons use high-tempo offense and stifling defense to take home a tight Empire 8 matchup vs. Nazareth College, 67-60, in the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena Friday evening.
Alfred University dominated Naz in points off turnovers (19-4), second chance points (11-4) and fast-break points (14-4) on its way to its third home-win in a row. Sophomore guard
Julian Reinhart (Hornell, NY/Hornell) paced the Saxons with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The game began with impenetrable defense on both fronts as the AU and Naz combined for 10 points in the opening 6:47 of the game. Neither team could mount much momentum; even a fast-break dunk by senior
Dalton Walsh (Stockton, NY/Cassadega) couldn't swing the momentum despite the crowd showing their pleasure with the athletic play.
The first half came to an end with the Saxons holding a tight, 28-27, lead on the Golden Flyers. Sophomore forward
Eric Adams (Lebanon, NJ/Hunterdon Central) led AU with six points and six rebounds in the opening half.
Regardless of their lead going into the half, the Saxons fell behind early in the second stanza of the game following a layup by Naz forward Maurice Mills. The Golden Flyers maintained their lead until the 7:10 mark when senior
Mike Snyder (Pulaski, NY/Pulaski) hit a momentum swinging 3PT shot to take the lead. Nazareth's Nick Nadeau answered with a three of his own, but the damage was done. AU had hit its stride and rattled off a six-point run to grab AU's second largest lead of the game. Walsh added an exclamation point to the run with an emphatic dunk that set the crowd on fire.
In the closing 56 seconds of the game Naz fouled to try and sneak its way back into the game. However, a band of Saxons hit 8-of-10 shots from the charity stripe down the stretch. As the game concluded AU had a firm grip on a 67-60 victory.
Senior
Tim Pacheco (Mt. Pocono, PA/Pocono Mountain East) followed in suit behind Reinhart with a double-digit evening at 10 points and four assists. Walsh ended with eight points and eight rebounds while sophomore
Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) matched with eight points of his own.
ITHACA 87, Houghton 83
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team defeated Houghton Friday evening, dropping the Highlanders by a score of 87-83. The win improves Ithaca's overall record to 11-10, including a mark of 8-4 in the Empire 8. Houghton falls to 5-15 overall, and 1-11 in conference play.
Ithaca shot 45.5 percent on the night, going 30-of-66 from the floor. The Bombers hit 12-of-30 shots from beyond the arc, good for 40 percent on the night. Ithaca's bench played a huge role in the victory, outscoring the Highlanders' reserves, 42-11. The Bombers also edged out Houghton in the paint, outscoring the Highlanders by a 32-28 margin.
Freshman
Joey Flanagan led the Bombers with a career-high 20 points in just 18 minutes of play. Sophomore
Joe Masino ranked second on the Bombers with 19 points in reserve, marking his largest point total of the season. Senior
Keefe Gitto recorded 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the start, while freshman
Marc Chasin rounded out the top scorers with 10 points in 23 minutes.
The Highlanders opened the game on fire, taking a 13-6 lead on the Bombers just five minutes into the first half. Ithaca battled back to tie the contest, going on a 7-1 run to put the score at 14-14. The Bombers dominated the remainder of the frame, outscoring the Highlanders 30-11 in the final 11:36 of the half. Chasin scored the first eight points of Ithaca's run, propelling the Bombers to a 19-point edge at the break, 44-25.
The Bombers' momentum carried into the opening possessions of the second half, as Ithaca was able to hold on to its double-digit lead for the majority of the frame. Houghton did rally late, pulling back to within single digits of the Bombers with under a minute to play. Ithaca's early dominance paid off, however, as the Bombers held their lead to take the 87-83 victory.