ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team returned to Ben Light Gymnasium and dropped a narrow 80-79 nail-biter against St. Lawrence on Saturday evening. With the loss, the Bombers are now 14-8 on the season and 10-5 in conference play, while the Saints improve to 14-9 and 8-8 in Liberty League action.
 
Ithaca junior Jack Stern led the offensive arsenal with a team-high 11 points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the three-point line. Guards George Sikoryak III and Noah Downing echoed that performance by combining for 20 points and shooting 8-for-9 from the field. Senior Skylar Sinon made himself a presence as well, clocking out of the evening with eight points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Bombers were outmatched by St. Lawrence in the shooting department, as they finished with a field goal percentage of 45.3 compared to the Saints' 49.2. IC also blew a 10-point halftime lead and committed 15 turnovers, which seemed to be the difference maker in the final moments of the contest.
 
The Bombers' offensive attack was as poised as could be in the opening 10 minutes of the contest. IC went on a swift 25-8 run behind a handful of turnovers and three-pointers from Liam Spellman, Andrew Geschickter, and Downing to build an early cushion. 
 
Following a Sinon jump shot that pushed the lead to 31-13, the Saints offense came to life as they went on a 16-8 spurt to close out the first half and make it a 39-29 ball game. Stern had seven points and nailed each free throw attempt in the first half to pace the Bombers.
 
The second half proved to be a more contested affair as St. Lawrence came climbing back midway through the stanza. Trailing 50-42, the Saints responded with an 8-0 run and a Luke Hicks three-pointer tied the score at 50-50 with just over 12 minutes remaining. St. Lawrence registered its first lead of the evening with a Miles Davis layup to put his team in front 56-54.
 
The ensuing five minutes was all fireworks, as there were seven lead changes and five three-pointers that resulted in a 74-67 Ithaca advantage. However, the Saints came storming back and managed to knot things up at 74-74 with three minutes to go in regulation. After a St. Lawrence turnover, Geschickter drained a shot from three-point land to put the Bombers back in front 77-74.
 
Tied at 79-79 with six seconds remaining, Stern was called with a foul on the Saints' possession and Trey Syroka swished a free throw to put St. Lawrence ahead 80-79. With little time remaining, Sinon marched down the court and lobbed a pass to Radovich who barely missed the game-winning shot from beyond the arc.
 
Ithaca College is back on the hardwood this Tuesday, February 15 with a trip to Rochester, N.Y. as the team takes on RIT. Tip-off is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.