Rochester, N.Y. – The Ithaca men's basketball team (14-4, 7-2 Empire 8) placed six in double figures as the Bombers held on for an 88-86 victory over host Nazareth (11-7, 4-5 Empire 8) on Friday night.

After trailing 50-44 at the half, Ithaca outlasted Nazareth, 44-36, in the second period to remain matched with St. John Fisher at 7-2 and sit atop the Empire 8 standings.

Senior center Phil Barera (Belmont/Belmont, Mass.) led the Bombers with 23 points and flirted with his fourth-straight double-double by pulling down a team-best nine boards. Sophomore guard Sean Rossi (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.) was one of three Bombers with 13 points, while adding a game-high nine assists.

Senior guard Chris Cruz-Rivas (West Genesee/Syracuse) and freshman guard Christian Jordan (Cherokee/Marlton, N.J.) each contributed 13, while junior guard Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) and sophomore forward Andrei Oztemel (Staples/Westport, Conn.) each chipped in 10.

Ithaca shot 48.0 percent from the field en route to winning its third contest out of its last four games.

Nazareth opened action in commanding fashion as the Golden Flyers jumped out to an 8-2 lead just 1:11 into the game. Five unanswered points helped the Bombers knot the action at 13, but Nazareth responded accordingly and reclaimed its advantage. Ithaca was able to play catch-up and tie the first frame on three additional occasions, but the host squad used a 9-0 run to tally a double-figure gap late in the half. Trailing by 11 with one minute lingering, Jordan drained a three-pointer and Cruz-Rivas added a layup to bring the game within six at intermission, 50-44.

Similar to the first frame, Nazareth controlled much of the second stint. It was not until 7:23 that the Bombers challenged the Golden Flyers to knot the match at 71. A 10-2 run helped Ithaca to notch its first lead of the second period before the lead slipped back in favor of Nazareth. But just five seconds later a Rossi layup tied-up the score for the seventh and final time.

Cruz-Rivas and Jordan combined for the next five points to put the Bombers ahead indefinitely. The Golden Flyers had the game within striking distance, trailing 82-81 at the one-minute mark, but Ithaca held on to edge Nazareth in come-from-behind fashion, 88-86.

Ithaca will next travel to Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, Jan. 29 for a 4 p.m. game.

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