Score: Carnegie Mellon University 72 – Elmira College 53
Records: Carnegie Mellon (4-0), Elmira (0-4)
Location: Skibo Gymnasium – Pittsburgh, PA
 
Pittsburgh, PA -- The Elmira College men's basketball team returned to action on Saturday afternoon, when it traveled to Pittsburgh, PA, for the Carnegie Mellon Double Tree Tournament. The Soaring Eagles struggled to get things going on the opening day of play, falling to the tournament hosts 72-53 to fall to 0-4 to begin the year.
 
The Purple and Gold was led by Justin Porrett '19, who continued his hot start in his debut campaign. The freshman poured in 11 points, while also adding five rebounds and four assists on the afternoon. Hayden Harkins '18 was the other Elmira player to chip in double-figures, finishing with 10 points, including going three-of-seven from beyond the arc.
 
The contest remained close through the opening nine minutes of play, as Elmira trailed by just three with 11:50 to go in the opening half. A 12-0 run by the Tartans would blow the game open and the home side would never look back.
 
Although Porrett and Harkins would chip in a combined 13 points in the opening 20 minutes, defense would plague the Soaring Eagles throughout the afternoon. Carnegie Mellon shot 50%, 14-for-28 in the opening half, including a six-of-11 from beyond the arc. A pair of three-pointers from the Tartans' Kemal Dincer would widen the gap to 45-26 at halftime.
 
The Soaring Eagles would do a better job of clamping down on Carnegie Mellon in the second half, but Elmira would struggle to close the gap. EC would finish shooting just 32,8% from the field, 21-of-64, including just five-of-16 from beyond three-point range, as the 19 point halftime lead would remain static in the 72-53 final.
 
Turning Point
After three-point field goal by Elmira's Anthony Abate '18 cut the deficit to just three points with 14:28 remaining in the opening half, Carnegie Mellon would go on a 17-to-6 run to blow the game open at 28-14. Elmira would not be able to cut the deficit to single-digits for the duration of the contest.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Carnegie Mellon outshot Elmira 45.5% (25-55) to 32.8% (21-64) in the contest.
• The first half was the Achilles heel for the Soaring Eagles, as the Tartans went 14-of-28 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
• Free-throws also plagued EC. Carnegie Mellon went 13-of-18 from the charity stripe, while Elmira went just 6-of-13 from the line.
• The home side also held a sizeable advantage from beyond the arc. CMU finished 9-of-22 from beyond the arc (40.9%), while Elmira went 5-of-16 (31.3%).
• Elmira held a slight advantage in being prudent with the basketball. Elmira finished with 12 turnovers to Carnegie Mellon's 17.

 
News and Notes

• With the loss, Elmira fell to 0-4 to begin the 2015-16 campaign. The last Elmira lost four straight to begin a season came in 2012-13, when the Soaring Eagles came up short in its first 10 contests.
• Porrett continued to be a steady source of offense for the Soaring Eagles. He finished with double-digit points for the third consecutive game. He finished with 10-plus in three of his four games this season.
• Elmira's 53 points were a season low for the squad. The Soaring Eagles tallied at least 71 points in its previous three games this season.
• Although the team got off to a difficult start on the defensive end, it was a step in the right direction for Elmira. The 72 points allowed marked the lowest output Elmira has allowed this season.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will return to action tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. when they face Chatham University in the third-place game of the tournament.