TROY, N.Y.—The 3-point shot proved pivotal as Ithaca College defeated Hobart College 80-72 in the semifinals of the Liberty League Men's Basketball Tournament. The Bombers made 15 triples in the game, the most against the Statesmen this year and limited Hobart to a season-low two treys.
 
Sophomore Jackson Meshanic led Hobart with a double-double on 25 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Classmate Dan Masino added 20 points and a team-high four assists. First-year Daniel Cook had eight points and blocked a game-high three shots, while senior Edens Fleurizard posted eight points and eight boards. Senior Tucker Lescoe was held to just five points, but did make his 79th 3-pointer of the season, matching Michael Gambino's 20-year-old program record.
 
Lescoe also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, helping the Statesmen to a 51-37 advantage on the glass.
 
Ithaca (22-5) was on fire from beyond the arc in the first half, making 10-of-20 deep tries. While the Bombers cooled off in the second half, making just 27.8% from distance, they still sank five more threes. They made up the difference at the charity stripe, draining 14-of-16 from the line in the final 20 minutes.
 
Sophomore Skylar Sinon led the way with a game-high 36 points, making 7-of-14 3-pointers, with a team-high four assists and a game-high four steals. Seniors Sebastian Alderette and Riley Thompson added 17 points and 14 points, respectively. Alderette also had a team-high 10 boards.
 
Ithaca was plus-eight in turnovers and parlayed that into a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
After Hobart took an early lead, Ithaca moved in front with three 3-pointers in a span of just over two minutes, seizing a 15-8 lead on Alderette's first long range bomb. Hobart trailed by just six after a Meshanic layup near the 11 minute mark, but the Bombers countered with a 13-3 run that included threes from Alderette, Sinon and junior Bryan Karl (9 pts). The push put Ithaca ahead 37-21.
 
The Bombers carried a 47-34 lead into halftime.
 
Hobart scored the first six points of the second half to build a little momentum, but Ithaca stopped the run with back-to-back threes by Sinon and Karl to push the lead out to 13.
 
The Statesmen stayed in the fight, using a 15-6 run to trim Ithaca's lead to just three with about five minutes remaining. Lescoe kick-started the surge with his record-tying triple and Meshanic capped it by showing his versatility, hitting a three followed by a layup that cut IC's edge to 65-62.
 
The Bombers scored six of the next seven points and Hobart wasn't able to get within a single possession the rest of the game. Ithaca was 10-of-11 from the line in the final three minutes, icing the victory.
 
The Statesmen and their 21-5 overall record must now wait until the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Committee makes its 64-team bracket. Hobart, which was third in this week's NCAA East Region ranking, is hoping to earn one of the 21 at-large bids into the field.
 
The bracket will be revealed at 12:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, on NCAA.com.