ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team eyes its first Empire 8 Conference victory of the season tonight, when it travels to face Houghton College at 8:00 p.m. at the Highlanders' Nielsen Center.

LAST TIME OUT: EC fell in dramatic fashion, 57-55, to Utica College on Saturday, January 14th at Speidel Gymnasium. Contest was tight throughout most of the 40 minutes of play, as there were six lead changes and neither team took an advantage larger than five points. Late into the second half, the Soaring Eagles owned a 55-51 lead after a Justin Porrett '19 fastbreak layup with 3:15 left in the contest. Unfortunately for EC, this would be its last points of the game, as late miscues allowed Utica to take control of the matchup. Carl Taylor scored a three-point play with 36 seconds left to give the Pioneers the decisive 57-55 lead. EC had two chances to tie the game up or take the lead inside the final 30 seconds, but was unable to get a good look at the net as time expired.

DAVIS COMES UP BIG: Senior forward Matt Davis '17 had one of the best games of his career, with a career-high 11 points. Davis only missed one shot in the game, as he made 5-of-6 attempts from the floor, including his fourth career 3-pointer. The Horseheads, New York, native also was important on the defensive side of the court, as he held Utica's standout forward, Ivan Iton, to a season-low seven points on 2-of-6 shooting. Getting improved play from the forward position will be crucial as EC continues E8 play.

PORRETT DOES A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sophomore guard Justin Porrett '19 did a little bit of everything in Elmira's contest against the Pioneers. Porrett finished the matchup with a season-high-tying 18 points, three assists, three rebounds and a season-high three steals. The 6-foot-1-inch guard shot well from behind the arc, as he made a career-high four treys. Porrett has played well of late, as he has scored double-digit points in three straight games, tying a career-long streak.

SCOUTING HOUGHTON: The Highlanders enter today's contest fresh off of two straight conference losses to Stevens Institute of Technology and Hartwick College on Friday and Saturday. After this past weekend's games, Houghton's overall record dropped to 6-7 and their Empire 8 record fell to 1-3. The Highlanders have struggled to gain traction in the conference, as all three of their E8 losses have come by 10 points or more. The Highlanders are led by forwards Johnathan Stowe and Dylan Lambert. A 6-foot-5-inch senior, Stowe leads the team in rebounds with 9.8 per game and sits second in points with 14.4. He also owns a conference-leading 57.9 field goal percentage, which ranks 49th in the nation. Stowe has been a double-double machine all season, as his conference-leading seven double-double ranks 38th in the nation. Lambert paces the team with his 18.0 points per game and sits second in rebounds with 7.3.

SERIES HISTORY: Today's meeting marks the 42nd time that these two programs have met, with the Soaring Eagles holding a dominant lead in the all-time series, 34-7. Unfortunately for Elmira, the series has not gone its way lately, as Houghton swept EC in last season's two matchups. On the other hand, prior to the 2015-16 season, the Soaring Eagles had won the six previous games. In last year's contest at the Nielsen Center, Porrett paced Elmira's returners with 14 points and five assists.

UP NEXT: Elmira continues conference play when it travels to face Alfred University on Thursday, January 19th. The game is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.