ITHACA, N.Y. – Despite a game-high 23 points from junior Jackson Mannix, the Union College men's basketball team dropped a 99-77 contest to Ithaca College in Liberty League action on Friday night at Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
Mannix performed well for Union (9-5, 6-3 Liberty League) in a losing effort, netting a season-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-7 mark from long range. Classmate Andrew Laub also reached double figures with 10 points and added a team-best eight rebounds as well for the visitors.
 
The Dutchmen shot the ball well to start the evening, hitting seven of their first 11 shots to grab an early 19-14 lead. Mannix and sophomore Brian Noone scored seven points each during the stretch, with Mannix's layup ending the run and giving Union its largest lead of the game. The visitors led for the next 4:30 until the Bombers finished a 10-0 run that put the home team up 29-23 with 7:38 left.
 
Back-to-back layups by sophomore Mike Concannon and junior Rhona Eseyade got the Dutchmen back within a basket at 29-27; however, Ithaca (11-3, 7-1 Liberty League) outscored Union 21-9 for the final 5:22 of the half to take a 50-36 lead into halftime. The Bombers hit seven of their final nine shots (including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc) to build up their lead.
 
The visitors lowered the deficit to single digits twice early in the second half following a jumper by senior Kevin Jefferson and a Mannix three-pointer, but a subsequent 9-2 run put the home team up 64-48 with 14:41 remaining. Following another Mannix three, Ithaca responded with a 19-2 run that increased the Bomber lead to 30 points (83-53) with 9:57 left, and the home team was not challenged the rest of the way.
 
Both teams shot similarly well from the field, with Union hitting 31-of-69 attempts (44.9 percent) and Ithaca connecting on 34-of-69 shots (49.3 percent). However, Ithaca connected on 17 three-pointers to Union's 11 and also made 14-of-15 shots from the charity stripe.
 
Union will return to action tomorrow, when the Dutchmen return to the Capital Region to take on Skidmore College beginning at 4 p.m. in Saratoga Springs.