ITHACA, N.Y. – The College at Brockport football team rode a strong defensive performance to a 27-17 victory over No. 24 Ithaca College on Saturday.
 
Key defensive plays in the final quarter of action helped secure the Brockport victory, who proved they could do more than run the ball, as senior quarterback Wayne Bonsell threw for four and 238 yards.
 
After Brockport (4-2, 2-2 Empire 8) received the opening kickoff, Dan Andrews picked up 45-yards on the Golden Eagles first play of the game, rushing to the Ithaca 20. A Wayne Bonsell pass to Tanner Winchester moved the Green and Gold to the 16-yard line, keeping the well-oiled machine moving. A false start penalty set the Golden Eagles back, and an interception on the successive play turned possession over to the Bombers.
 
The Golden Eagles defense held Ithaca (4-2, 2-2 Empire 8) scoreless through the first quarter, taking a 0-0 count into the second period.
 
Brockport forced a Bombers punt in the start of the quarter, but after a quick Golden Eagles three-and-out, Ithaca capitalized, posting its first touchdown to take the 7-0 lead with 13:34 to play in the half. On the following Brockport drive, Bonsell's pass was picked off at the Brockport 30 and the Bombers turned the turnover into points, taking a 14-0 lead by the 8:10 mark.
 
The back-to-back Bombers scores sparked the Golden Eagles offense, when Bonsell led the charge on a nine-play, 46-yard drive for the score.  With four completions for 43-yard, Bonsell found Jerry Thompson for the touchdown. The Tyler Perna extra point was good, cutting the Golden Eagles deficit to 14-7, a score that would hold into the half.
 
A stout Brockport defense forced a Bombers boot to open the second half of action, and the Green and Gold offense capitalized, posting points in the next possession. On a third-and-five, Bonsell connected to Nate Wilkinson for a monster 71-yard TD, and with a good extra point, tied the contest at 14-14.
 
The offensive charge wasn't over, as the Golden Eagle got on the board again, with another passing touchdown. Wilkinson was Bonsell's target, as he caught his second touchdown on the day to give Brockport the go-ahead score of 20-14. Perna's extra point was true, and with a Bombers field goal, Brockport held on to a 21-17 lead through the end of the third quarter.
 
The offensive prowess continued into the final period, after the Brockport D forced an Ithaca three-and-out after an Austin Dean sack for a loss of eight-yards.  Bonsell and the offense went to work, when a big fourth-and-six conversion from Bonsell to Thompson for 14 yards set up the Golden Eagles at the Ithaca 11. The Bonsell-Thompson connection worked again, as the two linked up for the QB's fourth touchdown on the day. A blocked extra point made the count 27-17 with 10:48 to play.
 
Head coach Jason Mangone's defense stepped up when they needed to, aiding to secure the 27-17 win. With the contest on the line, Dean picked up his second sack on fourth-and-21 to turn the ball over to the hands of the Golden Eagles.
 
On the following two Ithaca drives, Brynell Middelton came up big with a pair of picks to help close the contest. The first interception came at the 3:55 mark on an Ithaca second down at the Brockport 38. On the successive Ithaca drive Middleton did it again, this time on the third play of the possession. With the Bombers knocking at the door, Middleton snagged the pass at the Brockport 28 with 1:35 in the contest to make the final score 27-17 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
 
The Brockport defense was led by Julius Mizro and Dean who each had eight tackles apiece. Dean picked up an impressive four tackles for a loss of 27-yards. Jason Howard added seven tackles to the Golden Eagles totals, with James Collins coming up with two sacks on the day for a loss of 13 yards.
 
On the offensive side, Bonsell threw for 238 yards with 16 completions and four touchdowns. Thompson had eight catches on the day for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Wilkinson had two catches, both of which resulted in touchdowns, including a 71-yard long catch. Winchester had four catches for 47-yards of offense. Andrews picked up 117 rushing yards in the contest.
 
Brockport will continue its stretch of road games, and will be back in action on Oct. 24 when they take on Empire 8 rivals SUNY Cortland. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle scores and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" on Facebook.