PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Looking to get on a roll following a thrilling 106-103 overtime victory over Hartwick College this past weekend, the Ithaca College men's basketball team returned to action on Thursday evening when it traveled to Pittsford, N.Y., to take on St. John Fisher. The Cardinals used a fast start to jump out to an early lead and never looked back in defeating the Bombers 76-67. The loss dropped Ithaca's record to 5-7 on the season and 1-2 in conference play, while St. John Fisher improved to 8-4 on the year and a perfect 3-0 in Empire 8 action.
Marc Chasin once again paced the Bombers with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field. The junior guard added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 34 minutes of action. It marked the seventh time this season that he poured in 20 or more points.
Sophomore guard
Matt Flood added 16 points, which included a sharp-shooting 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Both marks were season highs, while he also posted a team-high four steals.
Carroll Rich added 12 points, which included 6-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe, while
Peter Ezema nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and eight boards.
The Bombers were unable to hold a lead in the contest, as Fisher opened the game with six straight points as part of a 9-2 run. Michael D'Amico drilled a three on the Cardinals' first possession, while Keegan Ryan kicked off his big night with an old-fashioned three-point play to double the home side's advantage.
Trailing 9-2, Rich pulled Ithaca within two points, after a pair of free throws and deep triple. Unfortunately, that was as close as IC would get for the rest of the contest. Another 6-0 run by the Cardinals widened the gap back to eight points, as Ryan and Alex Sausville capped the string with layups.
The Bombers twice closed within five points at 17-12 and 23-18; however, a 9-0 run by the home side stretched the advantage to double-digits at 31-18 with 4:53 remaining in the opening half. Chasin closed the half with three points on a jumper and a free throw with under a minute remaining to close the deficit to 40-28 at the break.
Ryan continued to hassle the Bombers to begin the second half. He nailed layups on consecutive possessions as part of a 7-0 Fisher run to make the score 47-28. The advantage remained around 20 points until the final stretch when Ithaca began to chip away. Ithaca closed the within single-digits in the waning moments with a Rich triple and pair of free throws from Flood, but it would be too little too late for IC.
Ithaca returns to action on Saturday, when it welcomes Nazareth College to Ben Light Gymnasium. Opening tip is slated for 4:00 p.m.
