Score: Utica College 57, Elmira College 55
Records: Utica (5-9, 3-2 E8), Elmira (2-10, 0-3 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. - Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- A handful of missed opportunities late in the second half proved to be detrimental to Elmira College men's basketball in Saturday afternoon's contest against Utica College, as the Soaring Eagles were edged by Pioneers, 57-55, in Empire 8 Conference action at Speidel Gymnasium.

The game was a tight one for the entire 40 minutes, as the largest lead gained by either side was only five points. EC held that lead on several occasions, lastly at 53-48 following a 9-1 run, one that wiped away a three-point Utica advantage.

With the Soaring Eagles ahead by one, 49-48, Matt Davis '17 spun and kissed a low-post jumper off of the glass to increase the margin to three points. On EC's following possession, rookie guard Alex Ischiropoulos '20 blew past Utica's Miles McNeill and finished a beautiful baseline layup with his left hand to extend the lead to five points with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

After a trio of free throws from Bennito Ayarza cut the lead to 53-51, Justin Porrett '19 picked off a pass from Ivan Iton, raced the length of the floor and deposited a left-handed lay-in, giving Elmira a four-point advantage, 55-51, and seemingly enough momentum to coast to the finish with 3:15 to go.

Despite the late lead, a stifling Pioneer defense was to hold EC scoreless in the final three minutes, with the Soaring Eagles committing five turnovers and missing their only attempted field goal down the stretch. Meanwhile, Carl Taylor netted four unanswered points for Utica, with the last three coming on an eventual game-winning and-one, to erase the deficit and put the Pioneers up, 57-55, with 36.8 seconds left in the half.

The Soaring Eagles were not without their chances in the waning moments, however. On the ensuing possession, Elmira ran the shot clock down as far as it could, but Ayarza caught a piece of a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Anthony Abate '19, resulting in a shot clock violation with 4.7 seconds left.

Porrett atoned for the wasted possession by making a miraculous steal on the inbounding play, as he stepped in front of Ayarza's pass right in front of the EC bench, giving his team one more opportunity to either win the game or force overtime with three ticks on the clock.

Unfortunately for the Elmira faithful in attendance, Utica sniffed out the play drawn up by the Soaring Eagles during the time out. Three-point sharpshooter Hayden Harkins '18 was the recipient of the inbounds pass, but was immediately smothered and unable to release a last-second shot.

Turning Point
Elmira looked to build on its lead late in the second half, but a trio of costly turnovers gave the Pioneers the momentum – and possessions – they needed to spark a comeback. With just under three minutes to play and the Soaring Eagles clinging to a 55-51 lead, Henry Cuffee '19 lost control off the ball and coughed it up on a baseline drive. Then with one-and-a-half minutes to go, Porrett heaved the ball from the baseline to Ischiropoulos outside of the 3-point arc, but he and Abate collided momentarily. That allowed the defense to close in on the first-year shooter, and the possession ended in a shot clock violation. Inside the final minute of regulation, with the cushion whittled down to a single point, Porrett turned and fired a pass from the low post to the top of the key, but no one was there to receive it and the ball sailed out of bounds. Utica would take the lead on the following possession.

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira finished with a slight edge in field goal percentage, 44.9 percent-to-44.1 percent.
• EC made 22-of-49 attempts, while Utica made 15-of-34.
• The Soaring Eagles made 5-of-13 3-point field goals, while the Pioneers went 0-for-5 from deep.
• Elmira out-rebounded Utica by a slim margin, 26-to-24.
• The Pioneers had advantages in steals, 6-to-5, and blocks, 4-to-0.
• Porrett paced Elmira with 18 points, three assists, and three steals.
• Porrett converted on 4-of-8 3-point attempts.
• Davis finished an efficient 5-for-6 from the field and scored 11 points.
• Cuffee also scored double figures for EC, as he went 4-for-6 from the floor and netted 10 points.
• Abate scored nine points, including a perfect 3-for-3 showing from the foul line.
• Taylor led all players with a game-high 27 points for Utica.
• Ayarza also scored double-digit points with 12.
• As a duo, Taylor and Ayarza combined to make 21-of-25 free throws.
• Iton led all players with a game-high eight rebounds and three blocks.

News and Notes

• Elmira falls to 2-10 on the season and 0-3 in Empire 8 play.
• EC's 44.9 field goal percentage is the team's second-highest of the season.
• The 57 points scored by Utica are the fewest surrendered by Elmira in a game this season.
• Porrett's 18 points tied his previous season high and extend his double-digit point streak to three consecutive games.
• Porrett set a single-game personal record with four made treys.
• Davis' 11 points are a single-game career-high, marking his first-ever double-digit point game.
• Davis made his fourth career 3-point field goal and his second in his last three games.
• Cuffee scored double-digits for the second game in a row and the fifth time this season.

Up Next
The Elmira men will travel to Houghton, New York, to face the Highlanders of Houghton College on Tuesday, January 17th. The Empire 8 matchup is set to begin at 8:00 p.m.