Box Score

Oswego, N.Y. – The Ithaca men's basketball team (0-3) dropped a 75-70 decision to Fredonia (3-0) on Saturday afternoon on day two of the Max Ziel Classic hosted by Oswego. Junior Andrei Oztemel (Staples/Westport, Conn.) was named to the all-tournament team.

Both teams tallied 35 points in the second half, but a 40-35 halftime gap held by Fredonia propelled the Blue Devils to their third straight victory.

Oztemel recorded a game-high 22 points, while sophomore Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough/Hillsborough, N.J.) grabbed a career- and contest-best 12 rebounds to lead the Bombers. Mitchell added nine points ,while senior Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) posted 16 points.

Sophomore Tom Sweeney (Wissahickon/Ambler, Pa.) chipped in a career-high seven points. Junior Sean Rossi (Sparta/Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) led the contest with six assists for the Bombers.

The game opened in back-and-forth fashion before the Bombers took a five-point lead, 18-13, at 10:53 on a Christian Jordan (Cherokee/Marlton, N.J.) three-pointer. The Blue Devils went on a 12-3 run, holding Ithaca scoreless for more than five minutes for a 25-21 advantage. The Bombers answered with a 10-2 streak of their own to regain the lead at the three-minute mark. Fredonia outlasted Ithaca down the stretch for a 40-35 edge at intermission.

Fredonia maintained its advantage early in the second stint. Sweeney cracked the Blue Devil's lead at 14:11 to go ahead, 46-45, before Oztemel drained a trey to go ahead by four. Ithaca held strong, but Fredonia regained its lead, 63-62, on a three-pointer with 3:26 lingering on the clock. 

Marcus knotted the game for the 11th and final time at 3:08 before the Blue Devils went on a 7-1 run. The Bombers cut within three, 71-68, with 17 ticks left in play, but Fredonia sealed the victory with a 4-for-4 performance at the charity stripe.

Ithaca outrebounded Fredonia, 47-36, though the Blue Devils held a 42.4 percent shooting accuracy over the Bombers' 36.1 percent.

Ithaca will next travel to the Radisson Carnegie Mellon Invitational on Nov. 26-27.