Box Score

Utica, N.Y. -- The Ithaca College men's basketball team (12-13, 9-5 Empire 8) powered to a 110-96 victory at Utica (9-16, 5-9 Empire 8) on Saturday afternoon. The fourth-seeded Bombers will travel to Hartwick on Friday, Feb. 24 to face the top-seeded Hawks in the conference semifinals. The winner will face the winner of second-seeded Nazareth and third-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, Feb. 25 in the Empire 8 championship game.

Ithaca's 110 points are the most tallied since a 113-86 victory at Nazareth on Feb. 20, 2009 and the Bombers' first 100-plus point game of the 2011-12 campaign. The Bombers entered the game averaging 73.0 points per game.

The Bombers shot 18-for-35 (51.4 percent) from three-point land to double as a school record. Ithaca also made 18 three pointers on Jan. 15, 2010 against Alfred.

Ithaca jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first, but the host Pioneers cut within six before the Bombers claimed an eight-point gap at intermission. After taking a double-digit lead in the latter half, Ithaca allowed Utica within five at the 12-minute mark, but went on to take an 18-point advantage and power to victory in its regular-season finale.

Sophomore Tom Sweeney put up a game- and career-high 32 points, while sophomore Frank Mitchell and junior Sean Rossi each tallied double-doubles. Mitchell's came on 12 points and a game-high 10 boards and Rossi's with a game-best 17 assists and 11 points. Junior Andrei Oztemel went 7-for-11 from three-point range for 21 points and senior Jordan Marcus was 6-for-9 from beyond the arc for 18 points. Oztemel added seven rebounds and Rossi six as the squads each grabbed 41 on the night.

Ithaca held an early edge in the first before adding to a four-point lead with 16 unanswered to lead 45-25 at 8:47. The Bombers held its largest lead of the game, 50-29, at 6:43, but the Pioneers answered with a 19-4 run to bring the game within six with 50 seconds lingering in the half. A Sweeney layup closed out the first frame with Ithaca leading 56-48 at the break. 

The Bombers held a steady lead in the opening seven minutes of the second, but eight straight Utica points and a four-minute Bomber scoring drought allowed the Pioneers within five. Ithaca responded to take an 18-point lead at 2:45 to coast to victory.

Ithaca shot 55.4 percent from the floor, while Utica drained 43.0 percent of its shots.