Score: Keuka College 70, Elmira College 68
Records: Keuka (1-1), Elmira (0-1)
Location: KC Gymnasium – Keuka Park, N.Y.
 
KEUKA PARK, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team was five seconds away from earning a feel-good season-opening win on the road against Keuka College, but instead the Soaring Eagles suffered a heartbreaking 70-68 loss to the Wolves on a last-second 3-pointer by Trevor Powell.
 
Prior to Powell's game-winning bucket, Elmira held a slim 68-65 lead with under one minute to play, but an EC foul sent Cliff Stevens to the free-throw line with 40 seconds left on the clock. Stevens hit back-to-back shots from the charity stripe to cut the Soaring Eagle lead to just one.
 
With the ball in EC's offensive end of the floor, Elmira ran 15 seconds off of the clock before the Wolves committed a foul that sent freshman Joseph Amoddio '21 to the line. Unfortunately, Amoddio was unable to make the front end of a one-and-one, which was his first shot attempt of the entire game, and the ensuing rebound was pulled down by Keuka's Ryder Mansfield. From there, 20 seconds trickled off the game clock before Powell connected from 3-point range with just five seconds remaining in contest, which all but sealed the win for Keuka.
 
Elmira led by as many as 14 points in the first half in large part due a 13-2 run that spanned 3:53, which saw five players log points, four of which came from rookie Isiah Charles '21. The EC run helped the Soaring Eagles enter the halftime break with an eight-point advantage, 34-26. EC also held a six-point lead early in the second half, as well as a five-point edge with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. However, Elmira was unable to generate any offense down the stretch, as it went 0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 from the charity stripe and was held scoreless over the final 2:39 of regulation.
 
Henry Cuffee '19 led the charge for the Purple and Gold with an impressive 22-point, 12-rebound double-double, which also included one steal and an assist. His 22 points were a game high, as were his 12 boards. Cuffee was efficient from the field, going 10-for-15, including a 2-for-4 mark from 3-point range. Of his 12 rebounds, three came on the offensive glass.
 
Justin Porrett '19 was one rebound shy of a double-double, as the Dumont, New Jersey, native filled out the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. Both his assist and steal totals were game highs for the third-year floor general. Second-year guard Jesse Adelson '20 provided a much-needed spark off of the bench with a strong 14-point performance on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-3 mark from 3-point range.
 
As a team Elmira went 25-for-65 (38.5%) from the field, including a 6-for-21 (28.6%) mark from 3-point range, and 12-for-18 (66.7%) from the free-throw line. EC's bench, led by Adelson's 14 points, did a fine job providing offense with 25 points. Keuka, on the other hand, was 25-for-63 (39.7%) from the field, 9-of-17 (52.9%) from 3-point range and 11-for-17 (64.7%) from the charity stripe. The Wolves also won the battle of the boards, 44-to-41, but the Soaring Eagles were the better team controlling the ball with 11 turnovers compared to Keuka's 16.
 
For Keuka, Powell led the Wolves with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also logged two assists and a pair of blocks. Stevens was not far behind with 14 points and eight boards, four of which came on the offensive glass. Both Powell and Stevens did most of their scoring damage from 3-point range, as the duo combined to go 6-for-8 (75.0%) from distance.
 
News and Notes

• The 22-point total from Cuffee was the second-highest of his EC career.
• Cuffee also registered the fourth double-double of his collegiate career and his first since January 7, 2017 against Stevens (12 pts, 11 reb).
• Porrett matched his career-high steal total with four.
• Adelson produced double-digit points for the fifth time in his EC career.
• Adelson's 14 points are the second-highest amount of his two-year stint with Elmira.

 
Up Next
Elmira will look to shake off today's defeat this weekend, when the Soaring Eagles host a trio of teams at the Elmira College Tip-Off Tournament. EC opens the tournament on Saturday, November 18, with a 2:00 p.m. bout against the Giants of Keystone College and will be followed by a matchup featuring Oswego State and Hamilton College at 4:00 p.m. Both games will take place inside Elmira's Speidel Gymnasium.