Houghton, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team kept their postseason hopes alive tonight as the Soaring Eagles went on the road to defeat Houghton College, 86-76.  With the win, Elmira improves to 10-13 on the year and 7-7 in Empire 8 Conference play, as the Soaring Eagles knocked down a season-high 16 three-pointers for a second straight game. 
 
Justin Henderson '16 set the tone in tonight's game, scoring a career-high 29 points while shooting a blistering 69.2 percent from the floor and 80.0 percent from three-point range.  Henderson went 8-for-10 from three-point range, which ties a career-high that he set earlier this season against Clarkson University. Additionally, his eight three-pointers up his season total to 62, putting Henderson in a two-way tie for 10th place for most three-pointers made in a single-season in EC history.
 
Also having a standout game for the Purple and Gold was Elmira's newest member of the 1,000 point club, Neil Randolph '15.  Randolph finished with 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor, including a 4-for-8 mark from distance.  For Randolph, his 24 points marks the fifth time in Elmira's last six games that he has gone for 20 or more.
 
Oladapo Badmos '17 was Elmira's final double digit scorer, as he scored 13 points while making three steals and one block.  Senior big man, David Borelli '15, was three points shy of a double-double as he finished with seven points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
 
Elmira was in total control of tonight's game from start to finish as only two lead changes occurred, both coming in the first half.  Houghton held two leads in the first half, both being one-point leads in the first six minutes of play. 
 
However, Elmira pulled away late in the half thanks to a mini 9-2 run, giving EC a 42-31 lead with 1:34 to play.  All nine of Elmira's points during their mini 9-2 run came from beyond the arc as Henderson knocked down a pair of threes while Badmos hit the other.
 
The Soaring Eagles would eventually go into the halftime break with a 44-35 lead.  Elmira's three-point shooting was a key factor in the first half as the Soaring Eagles went 10-for-19 from three-point range.  Henderson accounted for 12 of Elmira's 44 first half points, all of which came on three-pointers, while rookie Hayden Harkins '18 chipped in with nine points, all coming on three-point makes as well.
 
Elmira led by as many as 17 points in the second half, on two different occasions, but the Highlanders would make things interesting, cutting the EC lead to just seven with 7:20 to play.  This would be as close as Houghton would get as Elmira reclaimed their double-digit lead, building it to as many as 13 points before claiming an 86-76 victory. 
 
The Soaring Eagles will look to continue their winning ways this Friday, February 20th, when Elmira hosts Ithaca College for an 8:00 p.m. Empire 8 Conference showdown.