Box Score

Utica, NY – Despite a career-high 19 points from Derrick Vogel '14 the Elmira College Men's Basketball team was unable to extend its win streak to three games as it fell, 85-74, Saturday afternoon at the Harold T. Clark Athletic Center. The win improves the Pioneers to 6-11 overall and 3-4 in Empire 8 play, while the loss drops the Soaring Eagles to 3-13 overall and 1-5 in conference competition.
 
Utica got off to a quick 13-5 start just two and a half minutes into the contest that included baskets from four different players. Over the next four minutes Elmira used a 15-4 run to take a 20-17 lead. The run included eight points from Neil Randolph '15.
 
After the two teams were tied at 31 all the hosts used a 17-5 spurt to open up a 12 point lead and took a seven-point advantage (48-41) into intermission. Vogel and Randolph led EC with 11 points apiece in the opening 20 minutes, while Connor Maisch and Jeff Ward led the Pioneers with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Purple and Gold used a 23-14 run over the first 11 plus minutes of the second half to regain a 64-62 lead with 8:43 to play. The Pioneers closed the contest on a 23-10 spurt to prevail, 85-74, on their home floor.
 
Vogel paced Elmira with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. The junior hit on seven of his eight field goal attempts including going 4-for-5 from deep. Chris Cassidy '14 and Randolph added 13 points apiece, while Cassidy tallied eight rebounds.
 
Maisch led five different Utica players in double figures finishing with a game-high 25 points. Ward (16), Matt Baldwin (16), Aaron Nevins (12) and Chris Jeffers (10) all added double digit points, while Ward also tallied 10 rebounds.
 
Both teams were on fire as Elmira shot 54 percent from the field and 41 percent from downtown. Meanwhile, the Pioneers drained 56 percent of their shots and 47 percent from three-point range.
 
The EC Men's Basketball team returns to the hardwood Tuesday when it hosts Houghton starting at 8:00 p.m. in Speidel Gymnasium.