Score: Utica College 75, Elmira College 74
Records: Stevens (6-13, 3-8 Empire 8), Elmira (4-16, 2-9 Empire 8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
 
Elmira, NY -- A lay-in by Justin Porrett '19 with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation put the Elmira College men's basketball team ahead by two points, which looked like enough for a Soaring Eagle win on Senior Day. However, a last-second heave by Utica College's Robert Tutein from just about eight feet inside half court propelled the Pioneers to a 75-74 victory.
 
A back-and-forth first half quickly swung in Utica's favor with an 11-2 run, which resulted in a 35-24 Pioneers lead with 2:37 to play in the period. While it looked like Utica would carry a slim lead into the locker room at the break, EC finished the opening half on a 13-2 run of its own. Gino Leonardi '16 capped off the half with a buzzer-beating trey to knot the contest at 37-all, shot that would foreshadow the eventual heart-breaking finish.

EC led by eight points, 72-64, with two-and-a-half minutes left in the second half, but a furious 8-0 Utica run would draw the game even once again with under 20 seconds left on the clock. The Soaring Eagles called a timeout with 4.8 seconds left to draw up what appeared to be the game-winner play for Porrett, only to watch Tutein's highlight-reel three-pointer vault the Pioneers to victory moments later.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Utica went 30-for-57 from the field (52.6%), while Elmira was 22-of-48 from the floor (45.8%).
• Elmira was feeling it from distance, as the Soaring Eagles converted at a 52.0-percent clip (13-for-25).
• Utica made five three-pointers on the night on 5-of-15 shooting (33.3%).
• Neither team shot the ball particularly well from the charity stripe, with Elmira converting at a 68.0-percent clip, while the Pioneers made 58.8-percent of its attempts.
• Utica won the battle on the boards, outrebounding EC 33-to-27.
• The teams combined for 30 turnovers, 16 by Utica and 14 by Elmira.
• Elmira took advantage of Utica's 16 turnovers, scoring 25 points off those takeaways.
• The Pioneers dominated the paint, scoring 48 in the lane compared to EC's 16.
• Porrett led all scorers with a game-high 24 points and tied for the game-high in assists and steals with four and three, respectively.
• Harkins scored 14 points off the bench, 12 coming from downtown.
• Leonardi and Henderson chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Cesare pulled down a game-high eight boards.

 
News and Notes

• With the loss, Utica sweeps the regular season series.
• Porrett's 24-point production is a career best and the fourth 20-point performance of his rookie campaign.
• Cesare's eight boards are a season high.
• Henderson extended his double-digit point streak to six straight games.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to hardwood tomorrow afternoon, when the Soaring Eagles take on Hartwick College in another Empire 8 contest. Tomorrow's game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center Basketball Dome.