SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's basketball team could not put away Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon as the Bombers rallied for a 93-82 win over the Dutchmen on Senior Day at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
With the win, Ithaca (15-5, 10-3 Liberty League) takes a 1.5-game lead over the Dutchmen for third place in the conference standings. Despite the loss, Union (12-8, 9-5 Liberty League) still sits comfortably in fourth place, three games ahead of fifth-place Skidmore College with four games remaining, and needs one win to clinch a postseason berth.
 
Junior Temi George had a huge game to lead the Dutchmen on the afternoon, pouring in a career-best 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting to go with six rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Brian Noone also had a big effort with 17 points and a career-best and game-high 14 rebounds, while classmate Mike Manley added 16 points and seven assists in 26 minutes of action.
 
Union the game strong with four points by sophomore Mike Concannon and a bucket by senior Martynas Sinamavicius, but Ithaca promptly responded with 16 straight points to grab an early lead. The Bombers never relinquished their lead for the remainder of the half, but seven points by Manley helped the Dutchmen close the gap to 49-41 after 20 minutes of action.
 
The home team continued its momentum into the second half, scoring 11 of the first 13 points to regain the lead on a three from junior Jackson Mannix with 16:57 remaining. The teams traded the lead four times over the next few minutes before a brief 7-0 run – highlighted by six points from George – gave Union a 63-57 lead with 10:33 to go.
 
The Dutchmen built their lead up to as many as seven after a jumper by junior Nate Freeman made the score 68-61 with 9:07 on the clock. But Ithaca again battled back and the teams exchanged leads on five straight possessions before an 8-0 IC run put Ithaca in front 79-72 with 5:05 left. Union got back within one possession at 79-77 with 3:03 to go, but the home team did not hit a field goal the rest of the way and Ithaca sealed the win with a 12-of-14 effort from the charity stripe.
 
Union shot 42.5 percent (31 of 73) from the field on the afternoon, but Ithaca connected at a 47.5 percent (29 of 61) clip and more importantly shot 83.3 percent (25 of 30) from the free-throw line to pull out the win.
 
Union will play its final four games of the regular season on the road, beginning on Friday at Vassar College, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.