Will Engelhardt hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in overtime to clinch the win on senior day in a matchup that featured the top two seeds in the Liberty League. The Saints won 69-65 and moved to within one game of the first place Bombers.
Trey Syroka led the Saints on both ends of the court, finishing with 18 points, eight assists, five rebounds, four steals, and a block. Senior Trent Adamson had 11 points on 5-7 shooting along with nine boards and two blocks.
Prior to the game, seniors Will Engelhardt, Miles Davis, Liam McDonald, and Trent Adamson were honored.
The Bombers led for most of the first half, but threes from Gavin Macaulay and Carter Storey tied the ball game with 90 seconds left. Andrew Cowan hit a free throw to give the Saints their first lead in over 11 minutes, but a layup at the buzzer gave Ithaca the 30-29 advantage at the break.
After eight minutes played in the second half the Saints trailed 44-37, but the Scarlet and Brown scored 14-straight, including eight from Senior Miles Davis, to lead 51-44, their biggest lead of the afternoon. Ithaca inched their way back and Luka Radovich tied the game at 55 with a fastbreak layup with under two minutes to play, and another fastbreak layup gave them the lead with 71 seconds left. On the next possession Syroka got to the paint but was surrounded by two Bombers. He acrobatically jumped through the double team and laid the ball in from an impossible angle to even the score and the teams went to overtime with 57 each.
Skylar Sinon scored for Ithaca seconds after the opening tip, but St. Lawrence retook the lead when Engelhardt found Aidan Macaulay on a back door cut, and the sophomore laid the ball in like he was doing the reverse-Mikan drill. The Saints led by as much as four in the overtime period, but Ithaca stormed back to tie the game at 65 with 41-seconds left.
Head coach Chris Downs used a timeout to draw up an out-of-bounds play, and Syroka found Engelhardt who hit a catch-and-shoot shot from deep to give the Saints the 68-65 lead. The Saints defense came up with the stop, and a loose-ball foul sent Davis to the line, who sealed the win by hitting the first free throw.
Radovich had 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Bombers, and Logan Wendell finished with 15 points and seven boards.
The Saints had four to finish in double figures. In addition to Syroka and Adamson, Aidan Macaulay finished with a dozen points and Davis had 11. Syroka went 8-10 from the free throw line.
The Saints shot 41-percent from the floor, to Ithaca's 35-percent. Ithaca out-rebounded the Saints 42-36.
The Saints improved to 15-7 on the season and 11-5 in the Liberty League. The Bombers remain in first place with a 12-4 conference record and are 16-7 overall.
The Saints final weekend of the Liberty League starts with Skidmore on Friday, February 17th at 7:30 p.m. in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.