ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team tripped up against RPI, 66-61, in a matchup between two Liberty League heavyweights at Ben Light Gymnasium on Tuesday evening, January 25. The loss drops the Bombers to 10-6 on the season and 6-3 in conference play, while RPI improves to 13-2 and remains atop the Liberty League standings with a 7-1 record.
How it Happened:
- Playing shorthanded without their leading scorer Luke Radovich, the Bombers raced out to an early 13-5 advantage within the first eight minutes behind six Skyler Sinon points and a Zach Warech three-pointer from downtown.
- RPI flipped the switch and came storming back, however, scoring 12 unanswered points to make it a 17-13 contest with seven minutes remaining in the opening half.
- IC responded and matched the Engineers' energy with back-to-back three pointers from Warech and sophomore Triston Wennersten to trim the deficit to 26-23.
- Ithaca's offense came out firing in the second half thanks to Andrew Geschickter and Liam Spellman three-pointers from beyond the arc to take a 31-28 lead.
- Following an RPI surge midway through the half, freshman guard Logan Wendell came up big in crunch time, draining two straight buckets from three-point land to put the Bombers ahead 48-43.
- The Engineers rallied and went on a 14-4 spurt over the next seven minutes behind lockdown defense and a pair of Mason Memmelaar layups to retake the lead 57-52. RPI did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the contest, as the road team paced itself to a 64-58 victory.
Inside the Box Score:
- Memmelaar was the anchor of the Engineers' offense, tallying a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds.
- Sophomore forward Jack Stern led the charge for IC with 14 points and was 5-for-8 from the field on the evening. He was also a near-perfect 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
- Sinon was a factor all game long, converting 5-of-11 field goals and registering 13 points in the contest. The senior also grabbed six rebounds and tacked on two free throws.
- Spellman entered the contest leading the Bombers' offensive arsenal with 32 three-pointers and managed to hit 2-of-5 on the floor. The Waterford, CT native also posted eight rebounds and two assists.
Ithaca College is back on the hardwood this Friday, January 28 when the team travels to Geneva, NY for a date with Hobart College. The Liberty League showdown is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
