Men's Basketball Drops 87-55 Contest To Ithaca

ITHACA, N.Y. – The host Bombers saw five different players reach double-digit point totals as the Wells College men's basketball team posted an 87-55 loss to Ithaca College Friday evening at Ben Light Gymnasium. With the loss, the Express even their overall record at 3-3 while the Bombers move to 2-3 overall following the non-conference tilt.

The Express jumped out to an early 9-2 lead only 4:15 into the contest as Al Paul (Elmont, N.Y.) converted a jump shot to grant the Express a seven point lead. However, the Bombers quickly rallied to capture a 12 point lead following a layup by Frank Mitchell with 10:52 remaining in the stanza, bringing the score to 12-9.

With the score at 16-11 in favor of the host Bombers, the Express rallied off the game's next five points to knot the score at 16 apiece. A Jonathan Bonds (Chicago, Ill.) layup preceded a three point basket by Jonathan Hurtado (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to bring the score even. Two Hurtado free throws granted the Express a two point cushion.

Not to be outdone, however, the Bombers rattled off nine points to take a commanding seven point lead near the five minute mark of the first half. Mitchell forced home two layups while Eli Maravich popped a three point basket in addition to a layup to create the margin.

Following a Joey Ross free throw conversion at 1:28 of the first half, the Express rallied to bring the halftime score to a more manageable four points. A Hurtado layup, combined with a free throw following the foul, created a three point play to bring the score to 29-25 Bombers. Bonds made a layup with only 33 seconds remaining in the half, but the Bombers countered with a Tom Sweeney layup to conclude play in the first half.

Despite a Hurtado layup cutting the deficit to five points at 18:27 of the second half, the Bombers scored the game's next seven points and never looked back. An Andrei Oztemel three pointer preceded two Mitchell field goals as they captured a 45-33 lead with 17:03 remaining in the stanza.

Shooting 21-for-36 from the floor in the second half, Ithaca was able to finish off the Express, building a game-high 34 point lead courtesy of a Brad Johanson three point basket. In the second half, the Bombers scored 26 of their 56 points in the paint and nine of those off of turnovers by the Express.

Cumulatively on the evening, the Bombers shot a blistering 48.5% from the floor en route to the victory. Oztemel, who earned his 1,000th career point at the end of last season, led the way with 18 total points and 12 boards. Shooting a combined 7-for-15 from the floor was Oztemel, while Mitchell led the team with eight field goals. Oztemel and Warech recorded a combined seven steals in the victory. Wells was outscored by a 56-28 margin in the second stanza.

For the Express, Hurtado led the way with 19 points off of six field goals and six free throws. Bonds, Hurtado and freshman Jordan Bishop (Arlington, Texas) each recorded seven boards on the evening. E.J. Taylor (Tampa Bay, Fla.) and J.J. Walton (Ocala, Fla.) were a combined 0-for-14 from the floor in tonight's game.

The Express return to action Tuesday, Dec. 4 as they host Nazareth College in a 7:00 p.m. contest at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).