ITHACA, N.Y. -- The #9 men's basketball team beat Hartwick (8-11, 2-9 E8) 78-59 on Friday at the Ben Light Gymnasium. The win marks the team's seventh consecutive victory. Ithaca (19-1, 10-1 E8) also clinched a berth in the Empire 8 playoffs with the victory. Senior point guard Sean Burton (Notre Dame/Utica) recorded eleven assists to make him the program's all-time leader in assists with 494. Burton finished with 16 points in a double-double effort and nailed four shots from beyond the arc.

Three other Bombers scored in double digits, including senior forward Sean Leahy (West Genesee/Syracuse), who poured in 20. Leahy made a team-high eight field-goals, including three of the team's eleven three-pointers. Freshman guard Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) added 10 points off the bench and sophomore guard Chris Cruz (West Genesee/Camillus) netted 15. Cruz scored six of the team's first nine points in a span of 24 seconds to open the game.

Junior forward Tom Brown (Bayport-Blue Point/Bayport) and senior forward Brendan Rogers (Liverpool/Liverpool) each went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. The Bombers converted 9-of-10 free-throws from the line in tonight's contest and have shot over 85% from the line over the past four games.

The Bombers have now won eight straight games against the Hawks.

Ithaca continues Empire 8 play at home on Sunday, playing at 2 p.m. against Alfred.

Box Score