Rochester, N.Y.—The Bombers (18-8) lost in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 playoffs, falling in overtime to Nazareth 75-72. All five Ithaca starters reached double figures in scoring against the Golden Flyers (17-9), with junior Phil Barera (Belmont/Belmont, Mass.) and freshman Sean Rossi (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.) each picking up double-doubles.
Nazareth claimed the lead with 44 seconds to play, taking a 70-69 lead on a jumper. After three straight free throws extended the lead to two, a three-pointer from junior Chris Cruz-Rivas (West Genesee/Syracuse) pulled the score to 73-72 with 12 seconds left in the game. Ithaca fouled on the ensuing Golden Flyer possession, and Nazareth made a pair of free throws to return the lead to three.
The Bombers missed a game-tying three-pointer with four seconds remaining on the clock.
Senior Tom Brown (Bayport-Blue Point/Bayport) scored four of his 14 points in overtime, including the first two points of the period. Brown ranked second on the team to Cruz-Rivas, who scored 15 points, all coming in the second half or in overtime.
Barera and Rossi each tallied 11 points. Barera added a game-high 16 rebounds, while Rossi led all players with 11 assists. Rossi has 209 assists on the season, just three fewer than the school-record 212 record by Sean Burton last season.
Sophomore Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) netted 10 points in the game.
Ithaca rallied late in the second half to force overtime. Leading for most of the contest, the Bombers fell behind 58-57 on a 9-2 Nazareth run. The Golden Flyers held a two point lead with under a minute to play before Marcus hit a pair of free throws to tie the score at 63. Ithaca missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired in regulation.
The Bombers led for the final seven minutes of the first half, but never held a lead of more than four in the game’s opening period. The team led by as many as eight in the second half.
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