ITHACA, N.Y.- The second-seeded Ithaca College men's basketball team defeated sixth-seeded St. Lawrence University, 62-42, on Friday night in the Liberty League Semifinals inside Ben Light Gymnasium. Wtih the win, the Bombers advance to the Liberty League championship game for the first time since 2020. Ithaca is now 17-9 on the season and will play top-seeded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Sunday.
The Bombers got off to a strong start against the Saints, taking an early 14-5 lead, which included, back-to-back three-pointers from Logan Wendell and Aidan Holmes. About 15 minutes into the half, Chris Leysath added five points to the Bombers lead, making two layups and a free throw, to bring the score to 19-10 in favor of Ithaca.
Towards the end of the first half, Wendell scored eight straight points to give the Bombers a 27-15 lead. The Saints did get one last shot in to make it 27-17.
At the start of the second half, Wendell and Holmes picked up right where they left off; Wendell tallied five points and Holmes scored eight. The Bombers spent the remainder of the game playing shutdown defense, and in the final two minutes, they made 11 free throws to cruise to a 62-42 victory.
Wendell led the team with 22 points; Holmes had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Leysath also contributed nine rebounds and seven points. As a team, the Bombers shot 15-for-65 from field goal range and 5-for-24 from beyond the arc.
The Bombers will head to Troy, N.Y. to take on RPI with the 2025 Liberty League title on the line on Sunday, March 2 at 2:00 PM.