Elmira, NY – EC Men's Basketball dropped a tough game at home to Liberty League opponent University of Rochester. The Yellowjackets of Rochester took an 11 point lead in the first half and would hold on by as much as EC fell, 74-63.
In the first half Elmira would hang tough for the first 11 minutes of play as they exchanged leads with Rochester. The Yellowjackets would out-score Elmira 21-to-9 to end the first half and go into halftime with a 35-24 lead.
Elmira would attempt a comeback in the second half but a resilient Rochester squad would maintain a comfortable lead for the majority of the half, going up by as much 22 points. The Soaring Eagles would make a late run at the 2:45 mark as rookie Josh Keys '14 (Bel Air, MD -- CM Wright) would stroke two three-pointers in back-to-back possessions cutting the U of R lead to 13. EC would score five more points to cut the lead to 11, ending the game with a final score of 74-63.
Defensively, Elmira struggled to put enough pressure to force misses from the Yellowjackets as Rochester shot an impressive 55.6% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. EC shot fairly well from the field as well, shooting 35.5% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range.
Keys led all EC players with 10 points in an effort off the bench while fellow classmate Demir Smajovic '14 (Essex Junction, VT -- Essex Junction) added another 9 points. Fourth year guard Bobby DiPiazza '11 (Wyckoff, NJ -- Bergen Catholic) totaled 9 points and 7 boards.
Look for Elmira to avenge today's loss as they travel to take on E8 opponent RIT on Friday, December 10th. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in Rochester, NY.
Elmira College 63 University of Rochester 74
