Elmira College (3-14, 1-7 Empire 8) vs. Ithaca College (10-7, 4-4 Empire 8)
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 | 6:00 P.M. | Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team welcomes Ithaca College to Speidel Gymnasium for an Empire 8 Conference showdown this Wednesday, January 27th, at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday's meeting with the Bombers marks the beginning of the second half of Elmira's conference schedule. 

Last Time Out
Elmira snapped an ugly seven-game skid last Thursday night, as the Soaring Eagles edged visiting Alfred University, 76-72. EC controlled the game from the opening tip and never trailed at any point of the contest. The Purple and Gold led by as much as 14 in the first half, and held onto a double-digit lead with just over three minutes to play in the second. However, a 40-second stretch saw the Saxons go on a 9-0 run, cutting the Elmira lead to just one. Thankfully, Elmira's free-throw shooting down the stretch was good enough to help the the Soaring Eagles hang on for a four-point win. Justin Porrett '19 led Elmira with a career-high 21 points. 

Season-High Rejections
One of the key factors in Elmira's win over the Saxons was the team's ability to contest shots around the rim. Elmira rejected a season-high six shots, with six different players making those blocks. The last time Elmira had six or more blocks in a single game dates back to February 21, 2015, when oddly enough, the Soaring Eagles swatted eight shots against Alfred. 

Top-15 in the Nation
Hayden Harkins '18 continues to be one of the top three-point shooters in the Empire 8 and NCAA Division III basketball. The second-year talent is averaging 3.4 three-pointers per contest this season, which places him second in the E8 and 15th in the country. 

All-Time Series
Ithaca and Elmira have played each other 62 times over the years. The Bombers are 40-22 all-time against the Soaring Eagles, and enter tonight's game having won two straight against EC. 

Scouting the Bombers
Ithaca College enters tonight's contest with a 10-7 overall record and an even 4-4 mark in conference games. Ithaca needed double overtime to dispatch Hartwick College in its most recent game, which snapped a three-game skid, and propelled the Bombers into the fourth spot in the E8 standings. The Bombers possess the conference's second-highest scoring offense with an 86.4 points per game average. However, Ithaca has not seen the same success on the other side of the floor, as the Bombers rank eighth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing opposing teams to score 84.7 points per game. On an individual level, Ithaca has rode the offensive efforts of Marc Chasin and Joey Flanagan, who are averaging 20.1 and 17.7 points per game, respectively. The Bombers are 6-2 this season when Chasin scores 20 or more. Defensively, Peter Ezema has been a force for the Bombers. His 2.4 blocks per game are tops in the E8 and his 11.1 rebounding average is second.