Men's Basketball | 2/28/2009 4:47:46 PM
Click here for game stats
ITHACA, NY - Head Coach
Bob McVean won his 400th game as RIT men's basketball coach, as the Tigers (18-8) held off a tough Utica squad (17-9) to earn a 65-62 victory and advance to the 2009 Empire 8 Championship game. The Tigers will play Nazareth in Ithaca on Sunday at 1 p.m. The winner of that game earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
The game was tied at 60 when senior center
Mark Carson (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) banked in a 12-footer from the left elbow just before the shot clock was about to expire. RIT got a defensive stop and went up four on a pair of free-throws by
Nate Korinchak (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville) (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville) with 22.5 seconds left.
Doug Herring cut the Tiger lead to two, 64-62 with a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left. #
Adam Sweet (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport)# (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) made one of two free throws to put RIT up three with nine seconds left. Utica's Patrick Goodman had a wide-open look for three in the final seconds, but could not convert.
Carson led RIT with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. It was his 23rd double-double of the season. He also became the ninth Tiger to surpass 500 points in a season. He now has 506 points and 372 rebounds this season. The 372 rebounds are second most in one season at RIT.
Scott Young (Almond, NY/Hornell) (Almond, NY/Hornell) also added 14 points and five boards for RIT. He drained four 3-pointers. Freshman guard
Marcus Lowe (Anchorage, AK/Service) (Anchorage, AK/Service) added 12 points, Sweet chipped in with 11 points.
Doug Herring led Utica with 20 points and 10 rebounds. James McClendon added 12 points and seven boards, while Goodman and James Patterson chipped in with 13 points apiece.
The game was tight throughout, with 13 ties and eight lead changes. RIT led by as a many as seven once in each half. The Tigers led 31-30 at halftime.
McVean is now 400-276 in his 26th season at RIT. He is 458-334 overall as a head coach.
RIT shot 40 percent from the field, while Utica shot 42.6 percent. The Tigers out-rebounded Utica 37-28 and turned the ball over just eight times.
RIT defeated Utica for the third time this season. The Tigers lead the all-time series between the two schools, 54-20.
The Tigers will play in the Empire 8 title game for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
