ITHACA, N.Y.--The men's basketball team (5-2), which saw a 16 point second half lead turn into a one point deficit, rallied in the games' final minute to defeat visiting St. Lawrence 101-97 Friday night at Ben Light Gymnasium. Sophomore Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) netted 34 points against the Saints (2-5), with freshman Andrei Oztemel (Staples/Westport, Conn.) adding a career-best 30. Ithaca had never gotten two 30-point performances in a single game before Friday night.
A St. Lawrence layup gave the visitors a 95-94 lead with 56 seconds to play in the game. On the ensuing Ithaca possession, Marcus hit a jumper to put the Bomber ahead for good at 96-95. A St. Lawrence offensive foul sent Ithaca junior Chris Cruz-Rivas (Syracuse/West Genesee) to the free throw line, where he made his second shot to extend the Ithaca lead to two. The Saints fouled Marcus twice in the final 10 seconds of play, and he made all four free throws to ensure Ithaca's third straight win.
St. Lawrence utilized a press defense to chip away at the 16 point lead Ithaca held with less than 10 minutes to play in the game. A 16-3 Saints run--interrupted only by an Oztemel three-point field goal--cut the lead to three points at 83-80 with five minutes left. Another Oztemel three pushed the lead back to six points, before seven unanswered points gave St. Lawrence its first lead since the game's opening seconds. Each team held a one point lead four times in the final three minutes before Marcus' basket put Ithaca on top to stay.
Marcus finished 10-for-19 from the field, making five three-pointers in nine attempts. He eclipsed 30 points for the second time this season, having netted a school record-tying 45 in the season opener. Marcus also picked up four rebounds and a game-leading four steals.
Coming off the bench, Oztemel scored 22 of his points in the first half. He scored 11 of Ithaca's final 13 points to close the half, helping the Bombers to a 55-45 halftime advantage. Oztemel's 30 points were just four off the Ithaca freshman record of 34, set by Alden Chadwick in 1952. His total was the most ever for a Bomber off the bench.
Cruz-Rivas contributed eight points and a team-leading six rebounds. He also had a pair of steals. Freshman point guard Sean Rossi (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.) led all players with eight assists.
As a team, Ithaca made 19 of its 22 free throws. Marcus was 9-of-10 from the live with Oztemel perfect in four attempts.
The Bombers travel to Potsdam Saturday. Tipoff against the Bears is set for 6 p.m.
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