ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Matthew Zenker poured in a game‑high 24 points and the Ithaca College men's basketball team used a dominant second half to pull away from Bard in a 91–74 road win Friday night at Stevenson Athletic Center.
 
Zenker shot 8-for-15 from the field and knocked down four 3‑pointers as the Bombers (9–13, 8–7 Liberty League) outscored the Raptors 52–39 after halftime to seal the victory. Nick Lemmond added 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting, while Thomas McKiernan chipped in 13 points and six assists. Ithaca finished with 12 made threes and shot 46 percent overall.
 
After trailing 42–39 early in the second half, the Bombers flipped the game with a 24–8 run fueled by Zenker, who scored 13 points during the surge and pushed Ithaca's lead into double digits. The Bombers' bench contributed 36 points, including eight apiece from Alex Penders and Laurence Brady. Ithaca also turned 14 Bard turnovers into 20 points.
 
The lead started off early for the Bombers on a 6-0 run from David Luberoff with an and one-dunk. The Bombers and Raptors traded buckets back and forth through the first five minutes of gameplay. Luberoff gave IC early momentum off a quick seven points in the paint. Ithaca jumped out to a 20-10 lead with 13 minutes to go.
 
Threes from Alex Penders and Cole Wissink continued to fuel Ithaca's momentum. The Bombers worked inside out in the 2-3 zone played by the Raptors, giving them a 13-point lead with 10 minutes to play in the first half. Bard responded to the surge with a quick run of their own, cutting the lead to four. Back and forth baskets were traded on transition points from both teams. To close out the first half, Bard cut the lead again to four, making it 39-35 with the Bombers up.
 
The Raptors came out strong in the second half with quick scores in transition and in the paint. The Bombers responded with a Matthew Zenker three and layup by Tommy McKiernan. Ithaca took the lead back at 49-47 with 15 minutes to go on a Nick Lemmond layup. Two back-to-back shifty threes from Matthew Zenker put the Bombers up 57-53.
 
With 10 minutes to go the Bombers led by four again. A Matthew Zenker and-one put the Bombers up seven with just over nine minutes to go. The Bombers took a 10-point lead off a block from Jaylon O'Neal that led to a Laurence Brady dunk. A Nick Lemmond three put the Bombers up 17, sealing the game and the win.
 
Next up, Ithaca will complete the backend of a back-to-back on Saturday, February 14 with a road matchup at RPI slated for 4 p.m.