ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team made it two victories in a row on Saturday afternoon, pulling away from Hartwick College in the second half for a 92-77 victory in the Bombers' penultimate home game of the season. The triumph marked the first time that the IC men have scored back-to-back wins since November, while it improved their record to 8-15 on the year.
 
Ithaca had a season-high six players record double-figure points, led by sophomore forward Peter Ezema who posted a team-high 15 points. The second-year big man rounded out his huge effort with 14 boards to mark his sixth double-double of the season and second in as many contests. He also added three steals and a block in 25 minutes of action.
 
Freshman guard Riley Thompson poured in 14 points, which included a 4-for-8 mark from three-point range, while also adding three assists. Fellow rookie Gabe Perez-Ronchetta added 13 points and two boards, while sophomore guard Matt Flood posted 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
 
Junior guard Joey Flanagan posted 10 points and four rebounds, while Adam Kleckner also notched double-figures with 10 points and five boards.
 
Ithaca honored junior guard Marc Chasin with a commemorative ball celebrating his 1,000-career point milestone in a pre-game ceremony. He finished with five points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
 
The opening half began at a hellacious pace, with both teams showing an affinity to run the floor. Riley Thompson knocked down a three-pointer on the opening possession, but Hartwick responded with a 10-2 run to open up the first two-possession edge in the contest.
 
Ithaca turned to Kleckner, who put a down payment on his double-double effort with an excellent opening 20 minutes. Showcasing his under-the-radar mid-range game, Kleckner knocked down jumpers on three consecutive IC possessions to level the score at 12-12. The sophomore forward finished with 10 points and five boards during the opening half.
 
When Ithaca was not feeding the ball to its talented forwards, it was letting it fly from deep. Joey Flanagan drilled a pair of triples during the middle portion of the half, while Matt Flood and Thompson each added three-pointers. The Bombers finished with a 42.9-percent (6-of-14) average from beyond the arc during the half; however, the Hawks answered with six triples of their own to keep the contest within one possession.
 
The first significant scoring runs went the Bombers way, helping the home side take a 43-36 advantage to the locker room at halftime. A 13-2 run by Ithaca over a 4:45 stretch lifted IC to its largest lead of the opening half at 41-33 with 1:33 left in the frame.
 
Ezema sparked the run with a steal, taking it coast-to-coast for a lay-in on the other end. Gabe Perez-Ronchetta capped the run with an athletic lay-up in the lane, while Flanagan, Chasin, and Sebastian Alderete also added buckets during the scoring spurt.
 
Unfortunately, the halftime advantage evaporated in the beginning moments of the second half, as Hartwick opened the half on a 7-0 run to level the score at 43-all with 18:24 left in regulation. Flood finally snapped the scoreless stretch with a corner triple to briefly reestablish the lead, but the punch-counter-punch between the two sides would continue.
 
It looked as though Ithaca might pull away in the second half when it strung together an 11-0 run over a 3:22 span to take a 59-51 lead. Thompson sparked the scoring run with a three-pointer, while Ezema and Flanagan added buckets. Carroll Rich finished off the run with a beautiful streak through the lane for a contested lay-up.
 
Several minutes later Ithaca widened the lead to a game-high 12 points for either side at 73-61 with 8:05 left. Chasin knocked down a jumper, while Thompson nailed another trey. The Hawks answered with a 6-0 run, but a subsequent 8-0 run by the Bombers upped IC's advantage to 81-67 with 4:06 remaining. Ithaca had two old-fashioned three-point plays during the run, beginning the stretch with a Perez-Ronchetta bucket and ending it on a fantastic individual drive by Rich.
 
The lead proved more than enough for Ithaca to hold onto down the stretch, as the home side salted away the victory at the free-throw line down the stretch. Flood finished things off with five points in the waning minutes, which included a pair of free throws to put the icing on the 92-77 victory.
 
Ithaca returns to action on Tuesday, February 14, when it travels to Utica for the final E8 road contest of the season. Opening tip against the Pioneers is slated for 8:00 p.m.