Box Score ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team defeated Elmira in a must-win game Friday night, dropping the Soaring Eagles by a score of 83-74 at Speidel Gymnasium. The Bombers' victory, paired with Stevens' loss earlier in the night secured Ithaca's spot in the Empire 8 Tournament as the final seed. The Bombers now sit at 12-13 overall, including a mark of 9-7 in the conference. Elmira falls to 10-14 overall and 7-8 in E8 play.

Ithaca hit 27-of-59 shots from the floor, giving them a shooting percentage of 45.8 in the victory. The Bombers shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 9-of-21 shots from three point range. Ithaca also hit 20-of-25 (80 percent) shots from the charity stripe.

Senior Keefe Gitto once again led the Bombers offensively, securing 20 points in 34 minutes of play. He also pulled down an impressive 18 rebounds, giving Gitto his 11th double-double of the season. Classmate Max Masucci ranked second on the roster with 19 points, while junior Sam Bevan chipped in 15 points. Freshman Marc Chasin rounded out Ithaca's top scorers with 14 points. He also led Ithaca with three assists.

The first half featured three ties, marking even play to open the game. The latest of the three ties came with just under five minutes remaining in the frame, as both teams deadlocked at 23-23. The Bombers were able to slightly edge the Soaring Eagles in the closing minutes, outscoring Elmira 12-10 to take a 35-33 lead into the break.

The start of the second half featured three more ties, culminating in a 40-40 score just two minutes in. Elmira went on a brief run in the following possessions, outscoring the Bombers 7-4 to take its largest lead of the second frame at 47-43. Three-straight points from Chasin capped a small 6-2 run for the Bombers, tying the contest for a fourth and final time in the second half.

With the score at 49-49 with 12:41 remaining, Ithaca took control. The Bombers outscored the Soaring Eagles 34-25 in the remainder of the second, leading by as much as 10 points with 4:01 remaining. The strong finish secured the 83-74 victory for Ithaca, punching the Bombers' ticket to the Empire 8 playoffs. The playoff berth marks Ithaca's 11th trip to the Empire 8 Tournament. 

Ithaca will take on the top seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday, Feb. 27 in Rochester, N.Y. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. 

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