Elmira College (1-6) vs. Wesleyan University (8-1)
Tuesday, December 29, 2015 | 6:00 P.M. | James Twohig Gymnasium – Salem, MA
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira College (1-6) vs. Endicott College (4-3)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015 | 5:00 P.M. | James Twohig Gymnasium – Salem, MA
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team returns to the hardwood following a 20-day layoff when it travels to Massachusetts for the two-day Salem State Holiday Tournament. The Soaring Eagles open the event on Tuesday, December 29th, when they square off with Wesleyan University at 6:00 p.m. EC will conclude the tournament the following day when it takes on Endicott College at 5:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Soaring Eagles battled SUNY Cortland in a back-and-forth contest back on December 9th, with the Red Dragons pulling out the victory 80-66. Trailing by nine at the break, Elmira opened the second half on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to three points at 42-39. Cortland would punch back with a 19-6 run of its own to widen the gap with 6:10 to play. Although the Soaring Eagles showed their resolve, cutting the deficit to six points, the Red Dragons would nail their free throws late to hold on for the comfortable win. Hayden Harkins '18 continued his sharp shooting with a team-high 17 points, while Gino Leonardi '16 and Justin Porrett '19 chipped in 14 points and 12 points, respectively.
 
Living by the Three
Elmira certainly has not shown hesitancy in firing shots from distance this season. The Soaring Eagles have attempted 175 shots from three-point range through the first seven games this season, an average of 25.0 attempts per contest. The Purple and Gold have been quite successful from the beyond the arc, draining 69 of the attempts for a robust 39.4-percent clip as a team. EC will look to rediscover its hot hand at the Salem State Tournament, as the team is coming off its worst performance from distance on the year, shooting 29.2-percent (7-for-24) in the loss to Cortland. Harkins has been lights out from range this season. Of his 30 made shots, 29 have come from beyond the mark, while he is knocking down long-range shots at a 46.8-percent clip this season.
 
Clean Up the Boards
Rebounding has been an area that Elmira will look to improve upon when it returns to action this week. The Soaring Eagles have been outrebounded in six of their seven contests this season, entering this week's contests with a -6.1 rebounding margin on the year. A big trouble spot for the Purple and Gold has been their work on the defensive glass in recent games. Elmira has allowed opponents to pull down double-digit offensive rebounds in each of the last four games, an average of 12.8 per game. 

All-Time Series: Wesleyan
Elmira and Wesleyan have only met one other time in the history of both programs. The meeting occurred at the opening game of the Skidmore Tournament in Saratoga Springs, NY, during the 2000-01 season. The Cardinals took the victory in the contest by a final score of 89-74.
 
Scouting Wesleyan
Senior guard BJ Davis leads the Cardinals in the backcourt, averaging 20.4 points per game. He has been lights out from distance this season, making shots at a 53.2-percent clip from beyond the arc, which is tied for 15th in the country. Davis also has shown a keen ability for getting to the charity stripe, where he is 41-of-49 this season. Senior Rashid Epps and junior Joseph Kuo have made for a potent one-two punch in the low post. Kuo ranks second on the team with 11.9 points per game, while he leads the squad with 7.2 rebounds per contest and 12 blocks on the year. Epps has chipped in 9.1 points and 6.3 boards per game.
 
All-Time Series: Endicott
Elmira is 1-0 in the all-time series against Endicott. The lone meeting took place at neutral site in the penultimate game of Elmira's 1996-97 season, with the Soaring Eagles taking home a barnburner of a contest by the final score of 95-88.
 
Scouting Endicott
Offensively, the Gulls are powered by junior guard Kamahl Walker, who is averaging a whopping 27.3 points per game to go along with his team-leading 3.6 assists. He poured in 35 points in the victory over Salve Regina, while he also has a 47-point effort on his resume, coming against Keene State earlier this season. Junior forward Daquan Sampson also is a formidable force to contend with in the low post. He ranks second on the team at 12.9 points per game, while he nearly averages a double-double with 9.9 rebounds per contest.

Looking Ahead
The Soaring Eagles return to action in the New Year when they open Empire 8 Conference play against Stevens Institute of Technology on Monday, January 4th.