SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Finishing up its weekend road trip, the Ithaca College men's basketball team outlasted Skidmore College in a triple overtime thriller on Feb. 5, winning 101–99. It was the first time since the 1991-1992 season that a game went to three overtime periods. The Bombers spoiled the senior day of their Liberty League rival to improve to 13–7 overall and 9–4 versus conference opponents, while dropping Skidmore to 7–5 in Liberty League play.
 
The Bombers were led by senior guards Skylar Sinon, George Sikoryak III, and senior forward Luka Radovich, each scoring at least 15 points. Junior guard Liam Spellman grabbed 13 rebounds for the second straight game and led the Bombers in minutes played with 45. Depth scoring played a big role in the outcome, as the Bombers bench outscored the Thoroughbreds bench 39–23, including 15 points from freshman guard Logan Wendell.
 
Both teams opened the game trading scores, but neither team was able to create and sustain much breathing room. The Bombers largest lead of the first half was six, and did not trail until 7:41 was left in the half. The Thoroughbreds went on a 13–3 scoring run to lead 37–30 with 3:08 before halftime, but Radovich and Sikoryak helped even the game at 40 apiece with 11 and 10 points respectively. The Bombers only shot 39% from the field in the first half, but were able to generate extra opportunities by nabbing nine offensive rebounds and creating five steals on defense.
 
After halftime, the two teams each cooled down offensively but remained neck-and-neck. The trio of Sikoryak, Radovich, and Sinon combined for the team's first 11 points of the second half, but sophomore guards Noah Downing and Triston Wennersten came off the bench and chipped in with three-point buckets to help the Bombers offense. However, after a Skidmore timeout, the Thoroughbreds went on a 9–0 run to go up 62–70 with 3:51 left in regulation. 
 
Down 8, the Bombers resorted to fouling Skidmore to force free throws, and were able to battle back and reduce their deficit to just 70–72 with 15.6 seconds left in the game. On Ithaca's last possession of the half, Sinon left a mid-range jump shot short, but Radovich was in position to secure the offensive rebound and force overtime.
 
In the overtime period, the Thoroughbreds jumped out ahead, but the Bombers were able to chip away at the lead to make it an 84–83 Skidmore lead with 8.5 seconds left. Ithaca had 7.8 seconds left for their last possession after Skidmore made two free throws, as Wendell took the inbounds pass and sank a deep three to tie the game at 86–86.
 
Entering the second overtime, the Bombers were without Sinon and sophomore guard Andrew Gershickter after both fouled out. The South Hill Squad was able to take the lead, forcing Skidmore into back-to-back shot clock violations. The game was tied at 92 with 1:44 left in the second overtime period. The Bombers were unable to get a shot off in their final possession, and Skidmore would have the ball 13.8 seconds left. Coming out of a timeout, the Bombers forced a contested midrange shot as the clock expired, and the score remained 94–94.
 
Again, the teams went back and forth in the third overtime period, and Skidmore led 99–97 with 1:34 remaining. The Bombers came out of a timeout, but a three-point attempt from junior Liam Spellman was off the mark. However, the Bombers defense forced another shot clock violation, and Wendell was left open in the corner on offense and sank a shot to put Ithaca up 100–99 with 39 seconds left. The next defensive possession, Wennerstein came up with a steal and Wendell was fouled, but missed both free throws. Skidmore secured possession and called a timeout with 17.2 seconds left, but missed another contested midrange shot, and lost possession with 9.8 seconds. Wendell went to the line again, making one of two, with 7.6 seconds left. The freshman would finish the game with 15 points, 13 of which came after regulation. The Thoroughbreds drove down the court and got a clean shot off, but it rolled in-and-out of the hoop as the clock expired, ending 101–99.
 
The Bombers have five games remaining on their regular season schedule, including four home games. Their next game is Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Ben Light Gymnasium against Clarkson University.