Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team made it a weekend sweep with an 80-65, wire-to-wire victory over Hartwick College. The victory puts EC squarely into the Empire 8 Playoff picture as they are now 6-7 in conference play and are just one loss behind Ithaca College for the fourth, and final, playoff spot.
 
The five seniors on this year's team, David Borelli '15, Tyler Dibble '15, Brian McDonald '15, Jake Metcalf '15, and Neil Randolph '15 were honored pre-game and then announced as starters for this afternoon's game. They helped set the tone early for the Soaring Eagles on both ends of the floor as their defensive intensity, as well as their ability to knock-down shots against the Hartwick defense increased, the confidence of every player on the Elmira bench.
 
That confidence helped EC exploit the Hawks' 2-3 zone to the tune of 16 made three-pointers and 18 offensive rebounds, both of which are season-highs. The 16 made three-pointers also matches the most made threes in a single game over the last 14 years and increases Elmira's season total to 200 made three-pointers. The 200 made threes breaks a 16-year old record for three-pointers made in a season, surpassing the 197 three-pointers made by the 1998-99 edition of the Purple and Gold.
 
Leading the Purple and Gold in scoring, once again, was Randolph, who poured-in a game-high 24 points. The Wicklow, Ireland native, who was playing in front of his parents for the first time in his four-year career, did not disappoint, playing 36 of 40 minutes, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor, including 6-of-12 from three-point range, while also adding three rebounds and two assists in the victory.
 
The other seniors on this year's team also contributed in one way or another. Dibble and McDonald each scored five points, Dibble added three rebounds and recorded EC's only steal of the game, while McDonald handed out three assists. Metcalf started out the game with two assists, finding both McDonald and Randolph for open three-pointers. Finally, Borelli scored four points and grabbed six rebounds while helping limit Hartwick's best big man, Matt Wilson, to just eight points and one rebound.
 
In addition to Randolph's 24 points, three other Soaring Eagles, Oladapo Badmos '17, Hayden Harkins '18, and Justin Henderson '16, scored in double-figures. Badmos had one of the most efficient games of his two-year career, scoring 15 points and handing out six assists, while posting just one turnover. Harkins was lights-out from downtown in the first half, hitting four three-pointers, all from well beyond the three-point arc, for his 12 points. Henderson did not have his normal shooting display, only hitting 2-of-10 from three-point range, but he still fought his way to a 10-point and eight-rebound stat line in 25 minutes of action.
 
The five Elmira seniors helped the Purple and Gold get off to a fast start, hitting six of their first seven shots to take a 16-10 lead just four minutes into the contest. EC started to cool off from the floor, allowing Hartwick to cut it to a two-point game with 11:50 to play in the first half, but the Soaring Eagles shut the Hawks' offense down, going on a 15-0 run over the next seven minutes of gameplay to take a 31-14 lead. Hartwick chipped away at their deficit a bit, but EC led 37-23 at the break. The Purple and Gold shot just 40 percent from the floor in the first half, but they did hit eight three-pointers.
 
EC maintained their double-digit advantage for the entirety of the second half, but after a made free throw by Badmos pushed Elmira's lead to 18 points, 59-41, with 11:46 to play, Hartwick used an 8-0 run to make it just a 10-point game with about seven and a half minutes left in regulation. A layup from Dibble and a three-pointer from Randolph swung the momentum back in EC's favor and gave the Purple and Gold a 66-51 lead with just over five minutes on the clock.
 
Hartwick applied a full-court press and began fouling to attempt a comeback, but the combination of Badmos and Randolph proved to be too much as they scored 15 of Elmira's final 17 points. EC controlled the final five minutes of the game and rolled to the 80-65 victory.
 
EC begins their final week of the regular season with a must-win road game against Houghton College on Tuesday, February 17th. Tip-off against the Highlanders is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.