POTSDAM, N.Y. - The Ithaca College men's basketball team suffered a crucial 86-69 Liberty League loss Friday night on the road against Clarkson University, dropping to 4-5 in conference play and 5-11 overall. Ithaca entered the game on a seven-game winning streak, and 12 of the last 13 matchups, against Clarkson.

The Bombers led by as many as 10 points in the first half but things unraveled as the Bombers were outscored 51-29 in the second half, allowing the Golden Knights to pick up just their second conference victory of the season.

The Bombers were able to gain control early on with their full-court press. After junior forward Matthew Zenker hit a 3-pointer to get the Bombers on the board, they forced a quick turnover. Junior guard Evan Cabral swung the ball to junior guard Jaylon O'Neal at the top of the key. O'Neal connected on the open catch and shoot opportunity, and the Bombers were out to a quick 6-1 lead. 

Momentum continued to go the Bombers way in the first half. With a little under 10 minutes to go in the half, junior guard Yoav Regav drove to the basket, drew contact and was able to complete a 3-point play, giving the Bombers a 23-18 lead. A minute later, first-year guard Nick Lemmond knocked down a shot beyond the arc and the Bombers had their largest lead of the game, leading 28-18.

The Bombers finished the first half with a couple of second chance opportunities. Cabral was able to convert his own miss with 49 seconds in the half. After a Clarkson bucket, the Bombers held for the last shot. Sophomore guard Thomas McKiernan missed a 3-point attempt, but Zenker was there to clean up glass, as nobody put a body on him, and he was able to convert an easy layup to end the half, and the Bombers led 40-35. 

After a couple of early buckets from Cabral in the second half, the momentum began to shift in favor of the Golden Knights, and the Bombers were never able to respond. Sophomore guard Lorenzo Rappa led the way for the home team, contributing 21 points, 14 of which came in the second half. His 3-pointer around the 15-minute mark gave the Golden Knights a 50-44 lead. 

The 3-point shot was a stark difference between the two teams tonight. The Bombers seemingly had an abundance of open looks thanks to their 26 offensive rebounds. However, they were only able to convert 16.7 percent of shots beyond the arc compared to 40.9 for the Golden Knights. 

The Bombers had one last push in them around the six-minute mark after a Cabral layup cut the deficit to 12. On the following possession, Zenker got a steal and assisted McKiernan on a triple to make it a single digit game. However, Clarkson quickly responded with a layup from junior forward Braeden Burns and that seemingly was the dagger despite there being over five minutes remaining on the clock.

Despite the loss, Zenker and Cabral continue to fill up the stat sheet for the Bombers. Zenker had 19 points, nine boards and five assists while Cabral added 17 to box score while also grabbing nine rebounds. 

The Bombers will have a quick turnaround on Saturday, January 24 when they travel to St. Lawrence University as they enter the back half of their Liberty League schedule.