Rochester, NY -- After trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half tonight, the Elmira College men's basketball team (6-9, 4-4 E8) made it a two possession game with under a minute to play but EC's late comeback would fall short as the Soaring Eagles dropped a 77-69 decision to Nazareth College (6-9, 2-4 E8).
 
Neil Randolph '15 led Elmira with 23 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block.  Of his 23 points, 12 came from beyond the arc as Randolph went 4-for-6 from three-point range.  Oladapo Badmos '17 added 19 points, tying his season-high, and dished out five assists.
 
The first four and half minutes of today's game was very competitive as the two teams traded leads once, with Nazareth holding the largest lead at five points.  However, Elmira took an 11-9 lead on a Justin Henderson '16 three-pointer at the 15:42 mark of the first half, their only lead of the game.
 
With Elmira leading by one, the Golden Flyers would settle into their offense and go on a 20-to-3 run that stretched just over eight minutes, giving Nazareth a 29-14 lead.  During the Nazareth run, Elmira struggled to knock down shots as the Soaring Eagles went 1-for-10 from the field. 
 
Elmira cut the Nazareth lead to single digits, 29-21, thanks to a mini 7-0 run, fueled by a pair of layups by Badmos and three-ball from Henderson.  The single-digit lead was short live though as the Golden Flyers pieced together a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, 38-21, with 3:23 to play in the half.  Nazareth would eventually take a 38-26 lead into the halftime break as the Soaring Eagles closed out the half with another mini 5-0 run on a made three-pointer by Gino Leonardi '16 and a pair of free throws from Randolph.
 
Nazareth opened the second half with a three-pointer, extending the Golden Flyer lead to 41-26.  However, the game of runs continued as Elmira responded with a 12-to-3 run, cutting the Nazareth lead to single digits at 45-38 with 16:08 to play in the half.  Randolph played a large role in the run, scoring eight of his game's 23 points, while Badmos scored the other four. 
 
The Golden Flyers answered with back-to-back baskets to push their lead back to double digits, 50-38.  Once again, Elmira would chip away at the lead, this time with an 8-0 run, cutting the Golden Flyer lead to just four points, Nazareth's smallest lead since the 13:12 mark of the first half.
 
With just under eight minutes to play, Nazareth would go up, 64-52, but Elmira again clawed their way back into the game, getting to within five points of the Golden Flyers with 2:30 left in regulation at 66-61.
 
A mini 7-0 run by Nazareth once again pushed their lead to double figures at 73-61 with 1:18 to play but on the ensuing Elmira possession, Badmos would be fouled while making a layup, giving the second-year guard an and-one opportunity that he converted, making it a nine-point game.
 
Following a Nazareth turnover on the following possession, Ryan Brooksbank '17 would miss a three-point attempt, forcing Elmira to foul.  Thankfully, Nazareth's Nick Nadeau would miss the front end of a one-and-one, allowing EC's Tyler Dibble '15 to grab the rebound.  Shortly after, Badmos would drain his only three-pointer of the game, making it a two-possession game as the score stood at 73-67 with 53 second to play.
 
Unfortunately for Elmira, this would be as close as they would get as the Golden Flyers closed out the game outscoring EC 4-to-2, giving Nazareth the 77-69 win.
 
Elmira will be back in action this Friday, January 23rd when the Soaring Eagles travel to Utica, NY to complete the season series with Empire 8 Conference rival, Utica College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.