Ithaca, Ithaca earn NCAA bids
 |
The Ithaca men and women swept visiting Alfred on Friday night to clinch both Empire 8 titles and qualify for the NCAA playoffs.
The women's team (19-3, 11-1 Empire 8), who beat Alfred 71-55, has won three consecutive conference titles and will be playing in the NCAA playoffs for the second year in a row. The women have won 13 of their last 14.
Junior point guard Kerri Brown led Ithaca with 18 points and five assists. Freshman guard Stephanie Cleary collected 13 points and five steals off the bench and sophomore guard Jennie Swatling added 11 points and four steals. Junior center Heather Savignano added a career-high 10 rebounds off the bench. Ithaca forced 21 Saxon turnovers.
The men's team held Alfred, who had been averaging a conference-leading 72.8 points per game, to 47 points and 31.2% from the floor. Junior guard Matt Riggins scored a game-high 13 points and added six rebounds. Junior forward Will Hill added 12 points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Tyler Schulz added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Schulz also held Alfred's E.J. Docteur, who had been averaging 17.3 points, to just four points, and none in the final 36 minutes. Ithaca will be making its first NCAA playoff appearance since 1993 and eighth overall. Ithaca's last conference title came in 1994. |