Empire 8

[AUPepBand]

Final from McLane Center:
Ithaca 68, Alfred 57

Bombers move to 4-2 in conference play with big match-up tomorrow at Fisher, probably also 4-2 after tonight's encounter with Elmira.

AU drops to 3-3 and will host Elmira tomorrow.

[UCgrad45]

Utica beats rit. First win at rit for Coach Goodemote. Final score 91-77.

[Caz Bombers]

SJF beat Elmira by 30, 91-61.  Bill Lidell with 17 for Fisher (who?) David Nelson with 16 for EC.

[UCgrad45]

Herring with 25. Lighthall had 22 despite being questionable for the game. Bryant 10 points (I think he had a double-double). Collier 10 points. Utica was great from the foul line.

Good win for Utica. Lots of assists. I love this team.

[gobombers15]

Homestanding Nazareth outlasts a game Hartwick squad, 92-87. Hartwick's Jan Cocozziello leads all scorers with a ridiculous 39 points. Five Naz players score in double-digits, led by Joe Canori's 28. Corey McAdam fills the stat sheet with 17 pts, 8 rebs, 6 assists. Leon Hill comes off the bench for the Flyers and puts up a double-double (10 and 10).

[FisherDynasty]

good first night of E8 hoops.  i'll start by saying the nazareth basketball program is a joke haha, they need to make some serious coaching changes over there.  On another note, im glad fisher put up a lot of points for once, hopefully they found some confidence in this win and will be able to finish the rest of the season strong.  Also, love to see billy lidell do well, hes a really good kid.  Should be a great game today at Fisher versus Ithaca.  I have Fisher by 7-10, but ya never know what Fisher team is going to show this year.

[owen]

Also, what's with the SUNYAC? Is it me or did they start to get really good teams in just the last few years?
[/quote]

Surprised no one from the SUNYAC board responded to this one.

I'd say it's just the opposite, SUNYAC appears to be a pretty weak conference this year. I mean, Clarkson beats Potsdam in basketball???!!! Say it ain't so!! SUNYAC is really a shadow of what it was in the '70s and '80s when Albany, Buffalo U. & Binghamton were in the conference (all Division I schools now) and of course the Bears seemed to make annual appearances in the NCAA Final 4. 

I'll be moving to Rochester this summer after 23 years living in and around NYC. I can't wait to actually see some of these E-8 games next season.  Think I'll root for Elmira....as no one else seems to. Then I can have debates with Postup re: who is better, Elmira or Hartwick. YAY!

[jdex]

Owen,
Been pretty well documented on SUNYAC board this season is downer in some ways. Some of recent `established (contending)' teams are in growing mode. Much talent lost from 05-06. Still, current conference has its share of thrills and spills. Race up for grabs. Top to bottom, it's an 'any given night ......'  proposition. For instance, last night saw New Paltz take down leader Geneseo AT Geneseo! That came six days after Geneseo drubbed the Paltz.

Just last season there was a board on this site seeking comment on the better conference, E8 vs. SUNYAC. Good arguments both ways as is usually the case. Not this winter.

Indeed a storied SUNYAC history. Brockport and the Panaggios (sp?) an early monster. And, of course, there was Potsdam era of J. Welsh and Albany era of D. Sauers. Don't believe UBuffalo or Binghamton ever dominated in any way. UB was still trying to determine whether it wanted D1 or D3. At one time went 1, returned to 3, and now 1 again. Others for sure have had their moments.

SUNYAC will be back. Who knows, maybe one of this season's teams will emerge from current mob of mediocrity.

[gobombers15]

Fisher opens the game on a 29-7 run. Looks like Leahy is the only player who showed up for Ithaca. On that note, I'm off to run other errands.

[UCgrad45]

Collier with a 3 pointer with 10 seconds left to lift Utica over naz. Ray Bryant with 24 points. Utica 7-0 first time around.

[UCgrad45]

Hartwick beats rit.

[Caz Bombers]

McSweeney has 18 and 15 as Fisher smashes Ithaca 88-59.  Yet another scrumtulescent performance by IC in a big game.  Take a bow, Mullins.  Jeebus.

[superman57]

while I understand why you can be upset at Ithaca,  Fisher has to be playing angry so right now I can't think of many teams that could beat fisher playing this way

[FisherDynasty]

Also, the Bostic vs Mcsweeney issue should be put to rest. Not even a comparison.

[AUPepBand]

AU handles Elmira, 73-58 to move to 4-3 in E8.