ITHACA, NY– In an intense, physical battle between Skidmore and Ithaca, the Bombers arose victorious with a final score of 77-64 on Friday evening inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers get back in the win column and improve to 12-7 overall with a 9-3 Liberty League record. Skidmore falls to 5-15 overall and 1-12 in conference play.

This was a hard-fought contest by both teams from the opening tip-off to the final whistle. Ithaca got going first with Evan Cabral lighting up the score sheet within the first few minutes. Logan Wendell and Jaylon O'Neal joined in on the action to give Ithaca a nine-point cushion as they led 20-9. Skidmore came roaring back thanks to the 3-ball, and the Thoroughbreds tied the game at 31 after a Charlie Fantom 3-pointer. It didn't matter if they were wide open, contested or from incredible distance, but Skidmore felt automatic from beyond the arc all first half as the Thoroughbreds went 8-for-16 from beyond the arc.

Wendell was able to give the Bombers the lead at halftime after some clutch free throws to close out the frame. At the end of the first half, it was 41-35 Bombers.

The second half was arguably more physical and intense than the first as there were 27 combined free throw attempts. Ithaca was able to capitalize at the line, which ended up being the difference late in the contest. Cole Wissink was a force on both ends of the floor with great individual defense and he hit some big shots as well, including a 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring. He also hit some clutch free throws to seal the deal for the Bombers and finished the night with 10 points off the bench.

Cabral and Wendell led the way for the Bombers offensively with 21 and 14 points, respectively. O'Neal added 12 points, while Chris Leysath pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with seven points.

The Bombers have a tough test tomorrow as they face off against one of the Liberty League titans in the RPI Engineers on Saturday, February 8th at 4 pm at Ben Light for Senior Day.