ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team was unable to hold off a late rally from host RIT on Tuesday evening in Liberty League action, as the Tigers outscored Ithaca, 17-6, over the final seven-plus minutes of action to come away with a 68-66 win. Ithaca is now 12-9 on the season and 7-7 in league play, while RIT improves to 10-11 and 8-6.

The Bombers jumped out to an 8-4 lead over the opening 4:13 on the game behind 3-pointers from sophomore Riley Thompson and freshman Cooper Macklin, and a layup by junior Miles Herman.

RIT battled back with a 9-4 run in a 3:42 stretch to take its first lead of the game at 13-12. IC answered with a bucket from senior Marc Chasin to go back on top, 14-13, just 25 seconds later, but the Tigers regained the advantage at 16-14 on a 3-pointer with 11:03 to play.

Junior Peter Ezema knotted things back up at 16-16 to spark an 11-0 run over the next three minutes. Senior Carroll Rich scored three points during the run, while freshman Bryan Karl capped off the spurt with a 3-pointer. Sophomore Sebastian Alderete made one at the free throw line and Ezema scored another basket to account of the other four points.

The Tigers clawed back to within a four-point spread at 27-23 with 5:21 to play, but a layup from Chasin extended Ithaca's lead back out to six with less than four minutes remaining.  RIT then scored seven of the next nine points to cut Ithaca's lead to two points at 29-27, but a 3-pointer by Alderete made things a five-point spread. RIT scored the final basket of the half with 43 seconds left to make the score 32-29 in favor of Ithaca heading into intermission.

Eight different players scored for the Bombers in the first half, led by six from Chasin. Karl and Rich each had five points in the half, while Alderete and Ezema chipped in with four. Macklin and Thompson each netted three, while Herman scored the other two.

The Bombers continued to lead throughout the opening 5:16 of the second half until RIT converted both attempts at the free throw line to tie the game at 37-37.

A layup from junior Matt Flood put Ithaca back on top, 39-37, just 27 later, and then Rich staked the Bombers to a four-point advantage with 13:24 remaining in the contest. After a bucket from RIT trimmed the difference back to two, the Bombers scored six unanswered points, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Alderete, in a 31-second stretch to make the score 47-39.

RIT once again fought back and closed to within a point at 47-46 midway through the stanza. A jumper from Flood and two makes at the line from Rich made the score, 51-47, in favor of the Bombers with 9:37 to play.

IC then increased its lead to nine points at 60-51 with 7:06 on the clock, but RIT finished the evening on a 17-6 run to come away with a 68-66 victory.

The Bombers tied the game at 66-66 on a layup from Chasin with 44 seconds left, but RIT hit both attempts at the stripe to go back ahead by two.

RIT then missed the front end of a one-and-one with six seconds remaining in the game, which gave Ithaca a final chance to win the game, but a 3-point attempt by Alderete was blocked as time expired.

Rich paced the Bombers with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, to go to along with seven rebounds, while Alderete added 10 points. Chasin and Ezema nearly posted double-doubles as Chasin pulled down 11 boards with eight points, and Ezema contributed nine rebounds and eight points.

Flood chipped in six points, while Herman, Karl and Macklin each finished with five points.

The Bombers went 26-for-77 (33.8-percent) in the game, while RIT was 24-of-64 (37.5%). The Tigers held a 56-44 difference in rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end, which led to 16 second chance points.

Ithaca returns home this weekend for games against Clarkson at 8 p.m. on Friday and St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. on Saturday.