Oswego, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team trailed by 14 points with 8:10 to play, but they closed the game on a 21-6 run to rally past Oswego State, 57-56, on opening night of the Oswego State Tip-Off Classic. Tonight's win marks the first season-opening victory for an EC men's basketball team in five years, the last coming against Fredonia State in the 2009-10 season.
 
Tyler Dibble '15 was one of three Elmira players in double-digits, scoring 10 points, but it was his layup as time expired that lifted the Soaring Eagles to victory. Joining Dibble in double-figures were Neil Randolph '15 and rookie Hayden Harkins '18. Randolph led all scorers with 18 points and also tied for the team-high with David Borelli '15 in rebounds with eight. Harkins matched Dibble's 10 points in his first career start, going 2-of-3 from three-point range and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively in the first half, as it was just an 8-7 game, in favor of the Soaring Eagles, over five minutes into the game. Oswego State went on a 7-0 run over the next four minutes to break open a six-point lead, but EC responded with a 9-0 run of their own to go back on top 17-14 with 6:09 left in the first half. The Purple and Gold stayed in the lead for the remainder of the first half and took a 25-24 advantage into the locker rooms.
 
Randolph opened up the scoring in the second half to put EC up 27-24, but Elmira would fall behind for the first time since the 9:40 mark of the first half when Oswego's Kyle Covley gave the Lakers a 28-27 lead just over three minutes into the second half. Oswego State then proceeded to go on a 16-5 run over the next seven minutes of the game to make it a 44-32 game, and then, after a Justin Ruback '18 jumper broke Elmira's cold-spell, the Lakers again used a mini 6-2 run to break open the game's largest lead at 50-36.
 
From there, however, it was all EC. A pair of Dibble free throws kicked-off what would eventually be a 17-2 run that put Elmira ahead 53-52 with 2:27 left in regulation. The lead would exchange hands four times over the final two-plus minutes of play, the last coming on Dibble's game-winning layup as time expired.
 
Elmira has a short turnaround as they complete play at the Oswego State Tip-Off Classic tomorrow, November 16th against Farmingdale State at 2:00 p.m.