Score: The Catholic University of America 83, Elmira College 60
Records: Catholic (6-2), Elmira (2-5)
Location: Raymond A. DuFour Center -- Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team played well in spurts, but could not keep up with the Cardinals of The Catholic University of America down the stretch en route to an 83-60 loss on Saturday.

The Elmira offense struggled in the early portion of the first half, as the Cardinals scored eight of the game's first 10 points to build an 8-2 advantage. The Soaring Eagles missed their first eight attempts from the field, but beginning with a layup from Justin Ruback '18 at the 12:48 mark, EC finished the first half shooting 9-of-18 (50.0-percent) from the floor.

The Soaring Eagles quickly shed their cold start following Ruback's layup, as Connor Bays '18 followed with a successful 3-pointer as part of a mini 5-4 run to trim the deficit to 10-7. Bays drained another trey for EC approximately a minute later, which brought the score to 14-10 in favor of the Cardinals. However, Elmira was held scoreless for the next 3:23, while Catholic used the 3-ball to help its own cause and extend its lead to double digits, 22-10.

The drought was ended on a reverse layup from freshman Kyle McCreery '20. Inside the final 7:04, he and Hayden Harkins '18 fueled the Elmira offense from beyond the arc, as EC's next 12 points were scored on 3-point field goals, three of which came off of the hands of Harkins. Before the halftime buzzer, McCreery finished a pick-and-roll with a layup to bring Elmira within 11 points at the break, 37-26.

Three-point plays kept EC within reach for the first nine-and-a-half minutes of the second half. Henry Cuffee '19 converted an and-one on Elmira's first possession to cut Catholic's lead down to 37-29. Although the eight-point margin was the closest the Purple and Gold would come, timely 3-pointers kept the Soaring Eagles within reach and their spirits high. Within a span of five minutes, beginning at the 15:37 mark, EC received two treys from Harkins, and one each from McCreery and Justin Porrett '19, the latter making it an 11-point game at 56-45.

The Cardinals pulled away late in the second half, however, as another lengthy scoring drought allowed Catholic to extend its cushion. After an Adam Park '18 layup at 8:53, Elmira was held off of the board for over four minutes, until Anthony Abate '19 converted a pair of free throws at 4:50. His foul shots made it 73-51 in favor of the Cardinals.

Not to be outdone, freshman Jesse Adelson '20 added a highlight-reel play inside the final minute of regulation. The first-year guard from Closter, New Jersey, stole a pass on the run and went coast-to-coast to deposit the layup.

Turning Point
Although the Cardinals led by double-digits for most of the second half, Elmira was still within striking distance. After a barrage of 3-pointers, even the play-by-play broadcaster for Catholic noted that, if EC could whittle the deficit to single digits, it would be a tight contest to the finish. However, from 8:53 to 4:50, the Soaring Eagles did just the opposite, going 0-for-3 from the floor and committing four turnovers. Meanwhile, the Cardinals took advantage of the miscues and built a lead comfortable enough to erase any thoughts of an Elmira comeback.

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira shot 42.9-percent from the field (21-of-49) and 45.8-percent from 3-point range (11-for-24).
• Catholic finished 15-of-28 in both halves, equaling a 53.6 field goal percentage for the game.
• The Cardinals out-rebounded the Soaring Eagles, 38-to-24.
• EC made 7-of-9 free throws, while Catholic converted 17-of-30.
• Catholic outscored Elmira in the paint, 40-to-18.
• The Soaring Eagles assisted on 16 of their 21 makes, led by Porrett with a game-high 11 dimes.
• Harkins scored a team-high 15 points, all from 3-point range.
• McCreery made four of his five field goals and was second on the team with 10 points.
• Five players scored double-digit points for Catholic, led by Jay Howard with a game-high 22 points.
• Howard finished one rebound shy of a double-double with a game-high nine boards.

News and Notes

• Elmira falls to 2-5 on the season.
• Catholic improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against the Soaring Eagles.
• The Purple and Gold have made double-digit 3-pointers in back-to-back games and three times overall this season.
• EC's 45.8 3-point field goal percentage tied the team's season best.
• Saturday's game marked the third time this season Harkins has made 5-plus 3-pointers in a game.
• With five 3-point field goals vs. Catholic, Harkins surpassed Reed VanDerlyke '04 and moved into eighth place on EC's all-time leaderboard with 141 career treys.
• McCreery scored double-digit points for the second time in his rookie season.
• Porrett's 11 assists are a career-high for the second-year point guard.
• Porrett's 11 assists are the most in a single game by a Soaring Eagle since Derrick Vogel '14 recorded 12 on February 16, 2013.

Up Next
The Elmira men's basketball team travels to Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, to participate in Hampden-Sydney College's Luck Stone Holiday Tournament on Monday, December 19th, and Tuesday, December 20th. The Soaring Eagles will face the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the first round on Monday at 7:00 p.m.