Box Score

ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team (15-6, 9-2 Empire 8) claimed a 76-70 victory over Empire 8 opponent Hartwick (11-11, 3-8 Empire 8) on Friday night.

The opening 20 minutes featured six lead changes, though the Bombers scored the first 11 points of the second stint to secure an indefinite lead. Hartwick pulled within two at the 10-minute mark, but Ithaca remained a step ahead. The Bombers held a 72-63 gap with 62 ticks on the clock, but the Hawks surged to pull within four at the 17-second mark. Senior Eli Maravich went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to seal the victory for the Blue & Gold.

Senior Sean Rossi was one-point shy of his career-high, scoring a Bomber-best 23 points. He added a game-best six assists. Junior Tom Sweeney scored 16 and Maravich chipped in 12. Freshman Joey Ross scored a career-high nine points. Senior Jordan Healey led the Bombers on the boards with six and added a trio of steals. Maravich had five rebounds to go with his three blocks.

Five points was the largest spread during the first frame. Hartwick held it once and Ithaca twice. The score was tied on eight occasions, lastly at 3:06. Ithaca snapped a 25-25 deadlock with a Sweeney jumper and a Rossi three. The Hawks scored six unanswered to close out the half with a one-point margin, 35-34, highlighted by a buzzer-beating three.

Three Bomber treys and a dunk welcomed in the second half. A Ross three at the 14-minute mark gave Ithaca its largest lead of the game, 52-41. An 11-2 Hawk run brought the host squad within two at 11:16. The teams exchanged buckets before the Bombers used a 12-5 streak to secure a 68-59 gap at 1:58. Hartwick chipped away at Ithaca's gap, but ran short on time as Ithaca outlasted Hartwick for the win.

Ithaca shot a solid 57.1 percent from the floor, while the Hawks converted 48.3 percent of their shots. Hartwick held a 28-27 edge in rebounds. Ithaca hit nine threes during the contest.

The Bombers return to action on Saturday at Stevens Institute of Technology at 6 p.m.