Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team used a 45-point second half, which featured 55.6 percent shooting from the field and a blistering 69.2 percent mark from behind the arc, to down visiting Stevens Tech, 67-64. The victory marks Elmira's first-ever win over the Ducks, snapping a 15-game losing streak to open the series.
 
Leading the way for EC was the newest member of the 1,000-point club, Neil Randolph '15, who was honored pre-game for his career milestone. Randolph scored a team-high 18 points, doing his damage with a combination of dead-eye shooting from three-point range and from the free throw line. He went 4-of-10 from distance, including 3-of-4 in the second half, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line, with none more important than the two he hit to put EC up by three with just 11 seconds remaining.
 
Matching Randolph's clutch shooting from the free throw line was Gino Leonardi '16, who himself hit two free throws late in the second half. Leonardi finished the game with 13 points and also tallied four rebounds and three assists. The final double-digit scorer for the Purple and Gold was David Borelli '15, who scored 10 points, while also chipping in with four rebounds, two assists, and one of EC's three blocks, the other two belonging to Randolph.
 
Also contributing in a variety of ways were Nick Cesare '16, Tyler Dibble '15, Oladapo Badmos '17, and Justin Henderson '16. Cesare and Dibble are known more for their defensive abilities than what they provide on the offensive end of the floor, but in addition to limiting the damage done by Stevens' guards all night, Cesare and Dibble combined for seven points, five rebounds, and five assists, four of which came from Cesare.
 
Badmos and Henderson both scored below their season averages, but each came up with timely plays in the second half that helped change the course of the game. Badmos continuously broke down the Stevens defense, getting open looks and drawing a number of fouls in the process. Henderson did not have his normal shooting performance, going only 2-of-7 from three-point range on the night, but his final three, from about 30 feet out, put the Purple and Gold in front for good.
 
The Ducks jumped out to a 5-0 lead just 36 seconds into the contest, but despite the early hole, the Soaring Eagles would settle in and take a 9-8 lead with 12:05 to play in the first half. The score was tied 11 just minutes later, but Stevens would use a mini 6-0 run to take a 17-11 advantage. The Ducks eventually pushed their lead to a first-half high of seven points, which occurred on multiple occasions, but EC would trail by six, 28-22, at the break.
 
Elmira came out hot in the second half from behind the arc, with three of their first four made baskets coming from downtown. The final three-pointer capped off an 11-2 EC run that put the Soaring Eagles ahead 33-30 just three minutes into the second half. Stevens retook the lead with back-to-back threes of their own, but Badmos answered with Elmira's fourth three-pointer of the half to knot the game up at 36.
 
The Ducks again pulled ahead by four with consecutive layups from Alex Lorenz and Kenny Gan, but EC would not go away as they used a 10-2 run, capped-off by another Randolph three-pointer, to take a 46-42 advantage. Stevens used yet another mini 6-0 run to pull ahead by two points and remained on top for several more minutes.
 
Stevens 54-52 with just over six minutes to play, but their lead evaporated with Henderson's second three-point basket of the night. With the shot clock ticking down, Henderson, who was standing about 30 feet from the basket, received a pass from Badmos, elevated, and released his shot at the rim. The ball hit nothing but net and completely shifted the momentum of the game.
 
The Ducks' Patrick Sabatino put Stevens back on top, but Nick Cesare'16 gave EC a lead they would not relinquish with only his third made three-pointer of the season. That basket jumpstarted a 7-2 run that gave Elmira a 63-58 lead with just 1:53 to play. Stevens cut it to just one point, 63-62, after a pair of made free throws, but Leonardi and Randolph both went 2-for-2 from the line in the final 21 seconds to seal the game for the Purple and Gold.
 
Elmira has a short turnaround as they return to the court at Speidel Gymnasium tomorrow, February 14th to take on Hartwick College. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Tomorrow's game is also senior day, recognizing the six members of the Class of 2015 on this year's squad.