NEWARK, N.J. – Five players scored in double-figures as the fourth-seeded Ithaca College men's basketball team overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to topple top-seeded Rutgers-Newark on Saturday in the semifinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship in the Golden Dome Arena. With the win, Ithaca, which now holds a 15-12 overall record, advances to the ECAC Championship title game where it will face the winner of New Jersey City University and Baruch at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Trailing 43-34 coming out of intermission, Ithaca would cut the Scarlet Raiders' lead to five points after scoring six unanswered points capped by a 3-pointer from
Joey Flanagan to make it 45-40. Rutgers-Newark, which ended its season at 20-8, halted Ithaca's momentum with an 8-2 run of its own that lasted nearly three-and-a-half minutes to build a 12-point edge, 56-44.
After swapping buckets for the next six minutes, Rutgers-Newark would open up its largest lead of the game, 75-62, after knocking down a pair of free throws with 7:15 left in the game.
With time winding down, Ithaca went to work on the offensive end. The Bombers would make their next four consecutive attempts from the field as part of an 18-4 run that included five makes inside the paint to stake the visitors to their first lead of the game, 80-79, since holding a 2-0 lead at 19:06 of the first half.
The Scarlett Raiders would tie the game at the charity stripe, 80-80, with 52 seconds still showing on the clock, but the Bombers took control and built a four-point lead after a lay-up by
Carroll Rich and a pair of free throws by
Marc Chasin made it 84-80 with 11 seconds left. Rutgers-Newark would keep it interesting, draining a deep 3-pointer to pull within one point, but for the second time in as many games, Chasin would seal the win at the line, going 2-for-2 with two seconds left to give Ithaca the 86-83 comeback win.
Chasin finished with a double-double, his fifth of the season, after notching a team-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Flanagan added 16 points which included three from downtown while
Sam Bevan stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, nine assists and five boards. Freshman
Peter Ezema had 12 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of play and Rich added 12 points in the win.
Ithaca, which won the ECAC Championship in 2006 and 2010, shot .476 overall from the field (30-for-63) and was credited with 18 assists. The Bombers converted 17-of-21 attempts from the free throw line including nine consecutive makes in the final five minutes.