HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 19, 2011) – The Ithaca College men's basketball team downed Stevens Institute of Technology, 96-74, on Saturday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. to capture the Empire 8 regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship that begins next Friday. Five Bombers scored in double figures, including 24 from sophomore guard Sean Rossi (Sparta, N.J.). Stevens was led by 16 points and 11 rebounds from junior forward Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) and a team-high 19 points from sophomore guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.).
Ithaca (20-5 overall, 13-3 Empire 8) was on fire in the first half, hitting eight three-pointers and shooting 55.6 percent (20-for-36) from the field. Stevens (19-6 overall, 12-4 Empire 8) shot 37.1 percent (13-for-35) from the floor, 2-for-8 from deep, and just 5-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Rossi went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc in scoring 19 points in the first 20 minutes. Sophomore forward Andrei Oztemel (Westport, Conn.) went 3-for-5 from long range for his 13 points, while freshman guard Miles Grier (Liburn, Ga.) added nine. Stevens was led by Smith with 12 points and six rebounds and Jones had 11 points.
The Bombers' first double-digit lead of the first came at 22-12 with 12:47 to play in the half and quickly swelled to 19 (38-17) thanks to an Oztemel finger roll with 7:18 on the clock. The Ducks were able to get within 13 at 44-31 with 2:27 remaining, but the Bombers closed out the half on a 10-2 run to take a huge 21-point lead into the locker room.
The Ducks were unable to get closer than 19 points in the final 20 minutes as Ithaca expanded its margin to as many as 27 points before winning by 22.
The Bombers shot 34-for-65 (52.3 percent) from the field and 13-for-32 (40.6 percent) from long range. They hit 15 of their 18 free-throw attempts and ended the game with a 40-38 edge on the glass. Rossi had 24 points and a game-high seven assists as Grier, senior guard Chris Cruz-Rivas (Syracuse, N.Y.), senior center Phil Barera (Belmont, Mass.), and Oztemel were all in double figures for Ithaca.
Stevens was 30-for-70 (42.9 percent) from the field, and 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) from three. The Ducks shot 50 percent (8-for-16) from the line and were led by Jones and Smith in double figures along with freshman Patrick Sabatino's (Westfield, N.J.) 11 points and six rebounds.
Ithaca will take on fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College in one conference semifinal on Friday, while the Ducks will host Hartwick College.
Visit StevensDucks.com Monday for more information on the tournament.