Score: Mount Saint Mary College 83 – Elmira College 71
Records: Mount Saint Mary (2-1), Elmira (0-2)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
 
Elmira, NY -- Elmira College men's basketball held a 10 point lead in the second half but was unable to hold on, as the Knights of Mount Saint Mary College rallied for an 83-71 victory in the consolation game of the Elmira College Tip-Off Tournament. Gino Leonardi '16 paced the Elmira offense with a career-high 18 points while rookie Justin Porrett '19 chipped-in with 12 points.
 
Unlike yesterday's game, Elmira found their shooting rhythm early, as the Soaring Eagles knocked-down seven of their first 12 attempts from the field. Of Elmira's seven makes, six came from beyond the arc, with Leonardi leading the charge with a trio of three pointers.
 
EC's hot shooting put the Purple and Gold ahead 23-9 in the opening 7:10. Elmira's 14-point advantage was the largest lead either team enjoyed this afternoon.
 
From there, Elmira would see its lead hover around eight points and would eventually hold a 37-32 edge with 4:29 remaining in the first half. However, the Knights would close out the half on a 12-to-5 run, as Mount Saint Mary took a 44-42 lead into the break.
 
One major factor in Mount Saint Mary's first half comeback was its ability to get to the foul line, as the Knights made good on 14-of-19 free throw attempts. On the flip side, Elmira reached the charity stripe just once in the half.
 
In the second half, the teams would exchange leads three times in the opening 10 minutes but the third lead change would see the Soaring Eagles take control of today's game midway through the half. With the score tied 55-55, Elmira would go on a 12-2 run to take a 67-57 lead with 8:06 to play in regulation.
 
Unfortunately, Elmira's offense went cold in the following six minutes, as the Soaring Eagles went 0-for-7 from the field. During that six minute stretch, Mount Saint Mary would go on an 18-0 run to take a 75-67 lead with 2:06 to play in the half.
 
The Knights' run all but sealed today's win, as Mount Saint Mary went on to take it, 83-71.
 
Turning Point
Although Elmira held double digit leads in both halves, the key turning point tonight would be Mount Saint Mary's ability to get to the free throw line and EC's inability to do the same. The Knights were awarded 35 free throw attempts, converting on 28 of those tries, while the Soaring Eagles were just 1-for-4 from the charity stripe.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Both teams shot the ball fairly well, with the Knights going 24-for-49 (49.0%) from the field and EC going 28-for-65 (43.1%).
• The Knights controlled the boards this afternoon, outrebounding Elmira 39-to-29.
• Both benches were involved on the offensive side of things, with EC's bench outscoring Mount Saint Mary's, 28-23.
• Both sides posted identical three point shooting percentages at 43.8 percent; Elmira knocked down 14 threes to the Knights' seven.
• Elmira was a little reckless on the defensive side of the ball, committing 26 fouls compared to Mount Saint Mary's 11.
• Leonardi scored a team-high 18 points to go along with two assists and two boards.
• Porrett added 12 points, two rebounds and a game-high four assists.
• Justin Henderson '16 and Hayden Harkins '18 added nine points apiece, as the duo went 6-for-18 from three point range.
• John Mullane '16 grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

 
News and Notes

• Oswego State claimed the championship trophy from this weekend's EC Tip-Off Tournament.
• Morrsiville State finished as the runner-up, falling to the Lakers of Oswego, 61-59.
• Elmira's 14-made three pointers are the most since February 17, 2015, when the Soaring Eagles knocked down 16 against Houghton College.
• EC's four free throw attempts are the fewest taken since January 27, 2012 when Elmira was held to four attempts against St. John Fisher College.
• The last time EC took less than four free throw attempts dates back to the 2006-07 season when the Purple and Gold took just two against Colgate.
• The last time Elmira was held to just one free throw make was in a December 2, 2003 meeting against the University of Rochester.
• Leonardi was named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Leonardi's 18 points is a career high.
• Porrett's 12 points are a season-high.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will have a few days of rest before their next contest, a Tuesday, November 24th matchup against Hilbert College. Tuesday's non-conference bout with the Hawks is slated for 7:00 p.m. at EC's Speidel Gymnasium.