HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 23, 2013) – Second-seeded Ithaca College defeated top-seed Stevens Institute of Technology by a final score of 70-55 in the Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship title game Saturday in the Canavan Arena.
With the win, Ithaca earns the Empire 8's automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship slated to begin on March 2 and the Bombers improve to 19-8 overall. Stevens falls to 22-5 in defeat and will now have to await a possible at-large berth to the tournament. That field is slated to be announced Monday at 12:30 p.m. via www.NCAA.com.
The Bombers raced out to a 9-3 lead by hitting three of their first four from long range, but the Ducks found their footing and tied the score at 12 apiece with 12:55 to play in the first on a layup from sophomore forward Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.).
With the score tied at 14, senior forward Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J.) hit one of his three first-half three-pointers to give Ithaca a lead it would never give up with 10:27 in the first half. Another Warech three, several empty possessions for each team and a long ball from freshman guard Joey Ross (East Brunswick, N.J.) pushed the Ithaca edge to nine (23-14) at the 7:10 mark of the first.
The lead moved to double digits behind a three-pointer from senior forward Andrei Oztemel (Westport, Conn.) and the Bombers ended up taking a seven-point margin into the locker room.
In the opening moments of the second period, the Ducks got within five points thanks to four quick points from sophomore forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.), but Ithaca responded, getting the lead back to 11 after a made jumper from junior forward Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough, N.J.). An Eli Maravich (Pittsburgh, Pa.) three-pointer and Tom Sweeney (Ambler, Pa.) jumper on back-to-back posessions gave Ithaca a 51-35 lead with 10:57 on the clock, but the Ducks did not go quietly, getting a pair of three-pointers from senior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) to get back within 10 points. Thompson, who hit six three-pointers this weekend, now holds Stevens' all-time mark with 243 made triples over the course of his career.
The Ducks continued to hang around, closing within seven points on a layup from junior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) with 7:26 left, but the Bombers seemed to always have the answer, this time scoring five-straight to push their lead back to 12. Another three from Thompson brought Stevens within nine at the 5:35 mark, and Ithaca followed suit, getting the makes and stops it needed to eventually earn the 15-point win.
Mitchell was named the tournament MVP with Warech being named to the All-Tournament Team for Ithaca. Skrelja earned All-Tourney Team honors for Stevens.
Stevens shot 22-for-58 from the floor (37.9 percent) and hit just five of their 20 attempts from three. The Ducks also were just 6-for-13 at the line.
Skrelja finished with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals to lead the Ducks, while Sabatino added 14 points and three rebounds. Thompson had 11 points and six boards.
Ithaca shot 46.9 percent from the field and 9-for-20 from deep. The Bombers were 15-for-19 at the line and held a 37-30 edge on the glass. Warech had 25 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, with Mitchell scoring 11 points and grabbing three rebounds.
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2012-13 Empire 8 Men's Basketball All-Tournament Team
Stevens Institute of Technology – #21 Matt Skrelja – Junior – Guard – Clark, N.J.
Ithaca College – #21 Travis Warech – Senior - Guard/Forward – Pine Brook, N.J.
**Ithaca College - #31 Frank Mitchell – Junior – Forward – Hillsborough, N.J.
St. John Fisher College - #21 Justin Plata – Senior – Forward – Wheatley Heights, N.Y.
Utica College - #24 Chris Jeffers – Junior – Forward – Albany, N.Y.