Elmira College (4-15, 2-8 E8) vs. Utica College (5-13, 2-8 E8)
Friday, February 5, 2016 | 6:00 P.M. | Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes

Elmira College (4-15, 2-8 E8) vs. Hartwick College (13-6, 8-2 E8)
Saturday, February 6, 2016 | 2:00 P.M. | Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team will open its final homestand of the 2015-16 season with a back-to-back weekend against Empire 8 Conference opponents Utica College and Hartwick College. EC hosts the Pioneers at Speidel Gymnasium on Friday, February 5th at 6:00 p.m., before welcoming the Hawks to the Murray Athletic Center for a 2:00 p.m. contest on Saturday, February 6th.

Last Time Out
The Soaring Eagles survived a late scare at Stevens Institute of Technology to defeat the Ducks 75-50 at Canavan Arena on Saturday, January 30th. The victory was EC's second inside the E8 this season and second against Stevens since it joined the conference. Already up 41-34 at the break, Elmira opened the second half with three treys, two from Justin Porrett '19 and one from Justin Henderson '16, to quickly extend the advantage to 15 points at 50-35. EC led by as many as 18 in the second half before the Ducks started their near comeback. Stevens used a 21-4 run to trim the deficit to 62-61 with 3:55 to play in regulation. Hayden Harkins '18 and Gino Leonardi '16 helped preserve the lead with a pair of three-point plays, the latter an and-one from Leonardi to give EC some breathing room at 69-63 with 1:01 left on the clock. Elmira would make its free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Shooting Success
The Elmira offense pieced together one of its finest performances of the season to dispatch the Ducks on the road. Elmira's 53.8 field-goal percentage was the highest of the season, as the team finished 28-for-52 from the floor. It marks the best shooting percentage for the program since EC converted at a rate of 55.2-percent (32-for-58) in an 85-73 win over Hartwick on January 16, 2015. It has been two years since the Soaring Eagles finished back-to-back games with shooting percentages above 50.0-percent, as EC last did so in a three-game stretch from January 31-February 4, 2014.

Career Day For Mullane
Senior John Mullane '16 was a big reason the Soaring Eagles were able to down the Ducks on Saturday. The 6-foot-5 forward scored a career-high 17 points against Stevens, which was tied for the team high. He finished an outstanding 8-for-12 from the floor, with his eight made buckets also a career best. In addition, Mullane hauled in four rebounds, blocked one shot and had one assist, while his only free throw allowed him to complete an and-one play in the first half.

Porrett Pouring It On
Porrett, a first-year guard from Dumont, NJ, has been on a tear over the second half of the month of January. He's scored double-digit points in four of EC's last six games and is averaging 12.7 points per game over that span. Porrett has also played at least 30 minutes in all six of those contests, including a season-high 38 minutes in the wins over Alfred University and Stevens. In Elmira's two most recent victories, he netted a combined 38 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Porrett's 21 points and three made triples against Alfred are both a season highs for the rookie.

Henderson Hot Hand
Henderson's hot hand has the senior shooter riding a career-best five-game streak with 10-plus points and is scoring 14.2 points per game during that stretch. This comes after games against Nazareth College on January 9th, and Utica College on January 15th, where the three-point threat was a mere 1-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Now that Henderson has found his stroke and a renewed sense of confidence, he's knocking down treys at a blistering 47.7-percent since January 16th versus Hartwick. Henderson enters the weekend ranked seventh in the Empire 8 with 2.7 treys per game and 13th with a 31.5 three-point field-goal percentage. The Staten Island, NY, product has also been crashing the boards of late, collecting six rebounds in three of his last four games.

Series History vs. Utica
Utica is 34-25 all-time against the Soaring Eagles, but since the turn of the century, that mark has heavily favored the Pioneers. EC is only 8-23 against Utica since 2000, although the Soaring Eagles have won three of the last five contests against their E8 foe. A win on Friday would allow the Purple and Gold to earn a series split with Utica for the second consecutive season. In 2014-15, Elmira won on its home court, 75-64, to open the two-game set.

Scouting Utica
Utica visits Speidel Gymnasium riding a season-long four-game losing streak. The Pioneers have a 5-13 overall record and a 2-8 mark inside Empire 8 play. Away from the Clark Athletic Center, they are a mere 1-5, with their only road win coming over SUNY Polytechnic back on November 24th. Last time out, the Pioneers were defeated by St. John Fisher College 94-68 in Rochester, NY, on February 1st. Utica leads only Elmira when it comes to scoring in the E8, averaging 69.3 points per game. The Pioneers have struggled on defense as well, giving up 81.2 points per game for a league-low 11.9 scoring margin. EC should also be able to take advantage of Utica's three-point field-goal defense, as the Pioneers are allowing opponents to shoot 37.4-percent from beyond the arc. Robert Tutein is Utica's scoring leader and himself a dangerous three-point shooter. Tutein is scoring 18.4 points per game, fourth-best in the E8, while shooting 40.3-percent (54-for-134) from deep.

Series History vs. Hartwick
Although EC is 26-43 all-time against Hartwick, the Soaring Eagles are 4-3 against the Hawks over the last seven games. Elmira swept the two-game series from Hartwick last season by scores of 85-73 and 80-65. After winning the opener of this season's series in Oneonta, Hartwick is threatening to sweep EC for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Scouting Hartwick
The high-scoring Hawks enter the weekend second in the Empire 8 with an 8-2 conference record, one game behind Nazareth. Hartwick ranks third in the E8 with 85.4 points per game and second in field-goal percentage. The high-octane attack is buoyed by a dangerous three-point game. The Hawks are fifth in the nation in treys per game at 11.1 and sixth in total threes made at 211. Individually, senior Trevor Norton ranks 13th in Division III in made threes per game at 3.41. Norton, an Empire 8 All-Conference First Teamer last season, is second in the conference in scoring (20.6 points per game) and made three-pointers (58). Teammates Justin Pratt and Joey Lufkin also have the ability to shoot the three-ball, ranking sixth and 14th, respectively, in treys per game in the E8. With lethal shooters on the outside, big man Matt Wilson cannot be forgotten. The 6-foot-9 center is nearly averaging a double-double with 12.1 points and 9.6 rebounds. Hartwick will travel to Alfred University to take on the Saxons on Friday, February 5th, before visiting Elmira.

Up Next
The Elmira men close the home portion of the 2015-16 schedule when the Soaring Eagles host Houghton College on Tuesday, February 9th, at 6:00 p.m. at Speidel Gymnasium.