ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's basketball team began the 2025 season at home against nationally ranked No. 19 Carnegie Mellon University and wound up on the wrong end of an 87-73 decision. Ithaca is now 5-4 on the season, while Carnegie Mellon improves to 8-2.
Ithaca never led in the game and there was only one tie, as
Aidan Holmes hit a 3-pointer to tie the matchup at 3-3 in the opening two minutes of action. The Tartans then went on a 26-5 run over the next seven minutes to build a 29-8 advantage.
The Bombers then answered with a 20-3 run to close to within four points at 32-28 with just over three minutes to go, but Carnegie Mellon closed out the half with an eight-point lead at 39-31. During IC's 17-point swing,
Logan Wendell tallied eight points,
Jaylon O'Neal scored six and
Evan Cabral also contributed six points.
In the second half, the Bombers climbed to within three points as
Laurence Brady drilled a 3-pointer to make it 60-57 at the midway point, but that's the closest they would get. Carnegie Mellon went on an 8-0 run after the Brady triple to take control for the remainder of the contest.
Cabral just missed a double-double with 19 points and eight rebounds as he went 7-for-15 from the field. Wendell also finished with 19 points and three steals. Holmes chipped in nine points and eight boards, while O'Neal notched eight points and four steals.
The Bombers are back in action next weekend for a pair of Liberty League games against Union on January 10 and Hobart on January 11.
