ITHACA, N.Y. – Marc Chasin scored 35 points and the Ithaca College men's basketball team snapped a three-game skid on Friday as the Bombers earned a 93-88 win over the visiting Houghton College Highlanders in Ben Light Gymnasium.  With the win, Ithaca moves to 12-10 overall and 6-7 in the conference standings while the Highlanders drop to 10-12 on the season and 5-9 against Empire 8 opponents.

Neither team was able to create much separation over the first 20 minutes as the two squads were never able to build more than a five point lead.  Leading 18-13 with just over 10 minutes left in the first stanza, Ithaca would quickly find itself in a three-point hole after the Highlanders reeled off eight unanswered points.  The lead wouldn't last for Houghton, however, as the Bombers responded with an 8-2 spurt of their own to reclaim the advantage, 27-23. 

Houghton would hang around, though, eventually taking a five point lead, 32-27, but as had been the case throughout the half, Ithaca would climb back into the thick of things and after 20 minutes of play and 14 lead changes, the score remained tied at intermission, 37-37.

Coming out of the break, Houghton would build an eight point lead with 15:25 still remaining in the contest before the Bombers began to find their groove on the offensive end of the floor.  Over the course of the next six minutes of play, Ithaca would orchestrate a 16-2 run including 13 unanswered points to take a 63-57 lead.

From there, the Highlanders would cut the Bombers' lead to one, 66-64, but the home team would close the door on any comeback bid after outscoring Houghton 17-9 over the course of the next five minutes to build its largest lead of the game, 83-75.

Houghton would resort to fouling to conserve time, but Ithaca would go 10-for-10 from the charity stripe over the final two minutes to put the game on ice.

Chasin eclipsed the 30-point plateau for the second time this season after going 14-of-28 from the floor.  The Coral Gables, Fla. native grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots and came away with two steals in the win.  Senior Sam Bevan stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points including 10 from the free throw line.  Bevan also added eight assists and six boards.  Freshman Peter Ezema collected his 11th double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds while Carroll Rich had 12 points for the Bombers.

As a team, Ithaca uncharacteristically struggled from behind the 3-point arc, shooting 2-of-21 (.009), but the Bombers made up for it at the free throw line, going 25-for-30 overall.  Defensively, Ithaca blocked a season-high eight shots and forced the Highlanders into 16 turnovers. 

The Bombers will be right back at it at 2 p.m. on Saturday when they host Alfred in an Empire 8 clash in Ben Light Gymnasium.