PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Freshman Peter Ezema scored a career-high 29 points and hauled down 17 rebounds including nine on the offensive glass as the Ithaca College men's basketball team closed out its six-game road trip with a 98-78 conference loss to Nazareth on Saturday at Kidera Gymnasium.  With the defeat, Ithaca moves to 11-8 overall and evens its conference record at 5-5 while the Golden Flyers improve to 13-6 and a conference best 9-1.

Ezema, who notched his ninth double-double of the season, took a career-high 26 shots from the floor, making 12 while also posting a game-high four steals along with one blocked shot.  Joey Flanagan finished with 25 points in all Carroll Rich added seven points in the loss.  Sam Bevan dished out a game-high nine assists for Ithaca.

Ithaca, which never led in the contest, fell behind early as Nazareth jumped out to a 14-6 lead.  As the half progressed, the Bombers would hang around, but were never able to generate any significant momentum as the Golden Flyers' lead was never less than seven points over the final 13 minutes of the opening stanza.      

Trailing by nine to start the second half, the Golden Flyers built their lead to 20 points after using a 13-2 run over the first three minutes of the second frame to hold a 59-39 lead.
Nazareth's lead would balloon to 27 points, 74-47, with 11:53 left to play but a 9-2 run that lasted over two minutes would cut the home team's advantage to 20 points, 76-56. 

Both teams would continue to exchange possessions but time Ithaca was never able to halt the Golden Flyers' momentum as the final horn sounded on a 98-78 decision.

The Bombers will return to Ben Light Gymnasium at 6 p.m. on Thursday to host the St. John Fisher College Cardinals in yet another conference matchup.  It will be Ithaca's first time playing in front of its home crowd since January 12.