Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team suffered their second consecutive Empire 8 Conference loss, falling on the road to Alfred University, 80-51. 16 Soaring Eagles saw the floor tonight, with 11 getting into the scoring column.
 
Leading the charge for the Purple and Gold, for the second straight game, was Oladapo Badmos '17, who scored 13 points. Badmos was an efficient 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. In addition to his 13 points, Badmos added four assists as he continues to perform as one of the best point guards in the conference. Checking-in behind Badmos was Neil Randolph '15, who scored 11 points and pulled down three rebounds in 21 minutes of work.

EC's three-point efficiency was a point of interest entering tonight's game as the contest featured the best three-point shooting team in the Empire 8 Conference in the Soaring Eagles and the best three-point defense team in the conference in the Saxons. Alfred limited Elmira to 26.1 percent shooting from behind the three-point line, allowing just 6-of-23 shots to fall, which were the second-lowest marks for three-point percentage and made three-pointers in a game for the Soaring Eagles all season.
 
Randolph hit two of Elmira's six three-pointers with the other four coming from Justin Henderson '16, who had three, and Hayden Harkins '18, who had one. For both Henderson and Harkins, their overall scoring for the game came on those three-pointers.
 
Elmira got off to a slow start as they did not score their first basket until five minutes into the contest. During that time, Alfred jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and after the Purple and Gold briefly cut it to an 8-point game, the Saxons pushed their lead to 13 points behind a 7-2 run. EC attempted to cut into the deficit, but their cold shooting limited their ability to do so. Elmira trailed by as many as 23 points before ending the half on a 10-2 run to make the score 35-20 at the half.
 
EC looked to capitalize on the momentum they gathered at the end of the first half, but Alfred opened the second half on a 7-2 run to make it a 20-point game with 18:33 to play. The Soaring Eagles had a few mini runs in the final 20 minutes, but the Saxons had an answer for each one, keeping EC from making a comeback.
 
The Purple and Gold will look to get back on track on Friday, January 9th when they host Utica College at 8:00 p.m. in Speidel Gymnasium. Friday night's game is also EC's annual Gold Rush game, where fans are invited to wear gold and be entered to win their share of prizes.