The Ithaca College men’s basketball team dropped a nail-biter to Liberty League Conference leader Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers 54-51 on Feb. 8, falling short of what would have been a storybook comeback. The loss drops the Bombers 1.5 games behind the Engineers with just five games to play. The Bombers have now lost five straight games to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but hold a winning 27-22 record.
Senior Day started just as planned. Senior guard Logan Wendell found senior guard Aidan Holmes in the corner, and he buried a 3-pointer to set the tone. Though he struggled from the field, shooting 3-15 and going 0-8 from beyond the arc, Wendell remained a key playmaker, dishing out timely assists. He finished with 12 points in the loss. Both teams came out fast, pushing the pace as the ball flew up and down the court and bodies hit the floor.
The 300 fans packed into the stands were engaged from the opening tip, fueling the Bombers with chants of “defense” Wendell continued to distribute, finding sophomore guard Evan Cabral, who drilled a contested 3-pointer from the wing. The Bombers got off to a hot start, leading 8-4 five minutes into the game.
The teams exchanged turnovers and missed shots over the next few minutes before first-year center Chris Leysath used a Hakeem Olajuwon-like dream shake to put the Bombers back on the board. Graduate student forward Avery Eugster of RPI responded with a 3-pointer, but before anyone could turn their head, sophomore guard Jaylon O’Neal was already sprinting back after converting a smooth left-handed layup.
With about nine minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore forward Alex Penders drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving the Bombers their largest — and final — lead of the day at 17-12.
The Bombers fell into a five-minute scoring drought as their lead quickly disappeared. During that stretch, the Engineers went on an 8-0 run before Cabral drew a shooting foul. From 8:31 left in the half to 2:37, RPI outscored the Bombers 15-3. The run grew to 19-5, and by halftime, the Engineers had closed the half on a dominant 22-9 surge. The Bombers trailed 36-26 at the break.
Head coach Waleed Farid said the halftime message focused on the team’s lack of effort in the first half.
“It was just letting our guys know that we didn’t give our full effort in the first half,” Farid said. “They were beating us on the glass with seven offensive rebounds, and we weren’t valuing the ball, committing 10 turnovers. They scored 25 points off those mistakes.”
After the first half, the Engineers designed their scoring around second-chance points, outscoring the Bombers 11-0 in that department, thanks in large part to seven offensive rebounds. RPI also capitalized on 14 points from turnovers.
“We need to rebound better, take care of the ball and get some stops to claw our way back in,” Farid said.
The Bombers knew they faced a tall task because the Engineers had held opponents to 50 points or fewer six times and allowed more than 70 points only three times. All it would take were a few big shots to get the home crowd ready to erupt.
Just like in the first half, Holmes started the scoring for the Bombers with a strong take to the basket, finishing with eight points and six rebounds. Just as the deficit had shrunk back to single digits, RPI went on a quick 7-2 run, but O’Neal halted that momentum with a big transition three, finishing the game with 11 points and three rebounds. Then Wendell hit a step-back mid-range jumper, Cabral scored on a layup and another Wendell bucket brought the Bombers back within six with 9:35 to go. The RPI coach called a timeout, and as the fans rose to their feet to back them, the South Hill squad looked more confident heading back onto the court.
Over the next two minutes, the teams traded blows until Penders hit his second 3-pointer of the game. Then junior guard Cole Wissink came up with a huge steal, pushed the ball up the court, and seemingly every player touched it as they swung it around quickly. Penders then found a wide-open Holmes for a 3-pointer. What had once been a 15-point deficit was now just a three-point game with seven minutes to go while RPI clung to a 50-47 lead.
Ben Light Gymnasium was on fire. No matter how loud the Engineers’ bench chanted “defense,” the Bombers left everything they had on the hardwood.
Both teams went on to make two layups each over the next four minutes, pushing the score to 54-51. Cabral, who tallied eight points, seven rebounds and four steals, continued to provide key plays down the stretch.
In the final four minutes of play, neither team scored as there seemed to be a lid on the basket. RPI missed two one-and-one opportunities, giving the Bombers two good chances to tie the game in the closing seconds. However, a Wendell airball and a Cabral turnover put a wrench in the comeback effort. The Bombers fell just short of a miraculous comeback.
Farid looked to the future after the loss and emphasized that the Bombers are still in the thick of a playoff race and remain confident.
“We are right there, one of the best teams in this league,” Farid said. “There’s still things we can improve on. I don’t think we’re at our best yet.”
The Bombers will face off against Rochester Institute of Technology at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Ben Light Gymnasium for their final home game of the season.
