ITHACA, N.Y.--Ithaca defeated Hartwick 96-81 Friday night at Ben Light Gymnasium to open conference play. Senior Chris Cruz-Rivas (Syracuse/West Genesee) scored a career-best 25 points to lead the Bombers (4-2, 1-0 Empire 8) over the Hawks (3-3, 0-1 Empire 8).

Cruz-Rivas went 7-for-13 from the field, making four three-point field goals in the victory. Freshman point guard #Sean Rossi# (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.) also made four three-pointers, and set his own career high with 17 points. He tallied 10 assists for his second-career double-double. Through his first six games Rossi is averaging 13.5 points and 8.3 assists.

All five Ithaca starters reached double figures in scoring, with senior Tom Brown (Bayport-Blue Point/Bayport), junior Phil Barera (Belmont/Belmont, Mass.) and sophomore Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) joining Cruz-Rivas and Marcus. Barera and Marcus each scored 16 points, with Brown adding 12. Barera also had a game-high 11 rebounds for his third double-double in his last five games. Brown grabbed seven boards, second-most among all players.

The Bombers had eight steals in the game, with Rossi notching 3 and Barera and Cruz-Rivas picking up two apiece.

As a team, Ithaca shot 52% on field goals, including 48% on three-point attempts. Barera led the way, going 7-for-10 from the floor. The Bombers are shooting better than 47% on the season.

Ithaca continues its homestand Friday with a non-conference matchup with St. Lawrence. The Bombers edged the Saints 95-89 at St. Lawrence last season.

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