Complete Game Notes

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Before enjoying a break from competition for the holidays, the Elmira College men's basketball team will end the 2016 portion of its schedule with a trio of road games, beginning with a trip to Washington, D.C., to face Catholic University of America on Saturday, December 17th. Tip off against the Cardinals is set for 4:00 p.m.

Following the contest at Catholic, the Soaring Eagles will trek to Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, for the two-day Luck Stone Holiday Tournament on Monday, December 19th, and Tuesday, December 20th. The tournament, hosted by the Tigers of Hampden-Sydney College, will pit the Soaring Eagles against the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Monday at 7:00 p.m. The following afternoon, EC will take on either Hampden-Sydney or Messiah College in the consolation/championship game.

BETTER ON THE BOARDS          

• In the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons combined, Elmira had a player finish with double-digit rebounds on just four occasions. John Mullane '16 was the only Soaring Eagle to do so last season, as he collected 13 boards in the win over Endicott College on December 30, 2015.
• Through the first six games of the current season, however, Elmira has had a player grab 10-or-more rebounds four times, already equaling the previous two seasons combined.
• Players with 10-plus rebounds in a game: Anthony Abate (14 vs. Vassar), Matt Davis (10 at Hilbert), and Henry Cuffee (12 vs. Vassar and 10 at St. Lawrence).
• Abate and Cuffee have recorded double-doubles each time they have finished with double-digit rebounds this year.
• In terms of rebounding margin, the Soaring Eagles rank third in the Empire 8 Conference at +1.8. 

ISCHIROPOULOS OFF THE BENCH       

• Rookie Alex Ischiropoulos is one of three freshmen that has seen regular playing time in the early portion of the season.
• Ischiropoulos is sixth on the team with a per-game average of 7.0 points.
• He has netted 11 points in each of his last two appearances against the University of Rochester (11/27) and St. Lawrence (12/4).
• In those two games, Ischiropoulos shot 53.3-percent (8-of-15) from the floor and 50.0-percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range.
• Like Hayden Harkins, Ischiropoulos is at his best from beyond the arc and sits second on the team with eight made treys.
• His 47.1 shooting percentage (8-of-17) from 3-point range ranks third in the Empire 8 Conference among qualified shooters.

CATHOLIC AT A GLANCE

• The Cardinals are a perennial power out of the Landmark Conference, having won the league title in 2015-16 before falling to Endicott in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Catholic opened the 2016-17 campaign with an unblemished 5-0 record, but has lost two in a row and stands at 5-2 overall heading into Saturday's tilt.
• Last time out on December 10th, CUA dropped an 83-63 decision to undefeated Neumann University.
• Junior forward Jay Howard returns after leading the team in both scoring (20.1 PPG) and rebounding (6.8 RPG) as a sophomore.
• The former Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year, 2015-16 First-Team All-Conference selection, and Preseason All-American leads the team in both categories so far this season as well; Howard is averaging 20.1 points and 7.3 boards per game through the first seven contests.
• Senior guard Louis Khouri ranks second on the club with 16.3 points per game, thanks in part to his team-leading 21 made 3-pointers.