Score: Alfred University 84, Elmira College 66
Records: Alfred (10-14, 7-8 E8), Elmira (3-20, 1-13 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Despite a season-high 50.0 field goal percentage in Tuesday night's regular-season home finale against Alfred University, the Elmira College men's basketball team wound up on the losing end of an 84-66 Empire 8 Conference bout at Speidel Gymnasium.

Two 3-pointers off of the hands of classmates Justin Ruback '18 and Hayden Harkins '18 gave the Soaring Eagles a pair of early leads. Ruback's had EC ahead, 5-2, just a minute-and-a-half into the contest, while the trey from Harkins turned a two-point deficit into a 9-8 advantage.

That would be the last time the Soaring Eagles led in the opening half, as the Saxons went on to score the next six points to grab a 14-9 lead. Frustrated by a stingy full-court press employed by the visitors, Elmira fell behind by as many as 11 points midway through the period. While the Soaring Eagles shot a superb 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) from the field, EC coughed the ball up 17 times in the first 20 minutes of play, which resulted in 15 points off of turnovers for AU.

Overall, the Purple and Gold turned the ball over 27 times and the Saxons cashed in for 29 points off of turnovers. It was that high number of lost possessions that negated the team's outstanding shooting percentages, while in turn, fueling the opposing offense.

Before halftime, the Soaring Eagles trimmed the deficit to four points, 36-32, on another Harkins 3-pointer, but Alfred's Tyler Seelman responded with three of his game-high 30 points on the following possession. At the break, EC trailed by eight points, 41-33.

The Soaring Eagles once again drew within striking distance in the first three minutes of the second half, as Elmira raced out of the locker room on a 7-4 run. Following buckets from Nicky Sim '19 and Henry Cuffee '19, Matt Davis '17 – playing in the final home contest of his collegiate career – drained a 3-pointer to make it 45-40 in favor of the Saxons.

Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, Alfred put the game out of reach with an 8-0 run of their own. The Saxons maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, despite a run of treys that saw Jesse Adelson '20 connect on a trio of shot from downtown, sandwiched around a second Ruback 3-pointer.

Turning Point
Elmira concluded the regular-season home at Speidel Gymnasium with a sparkling 50.0 field goal percentage, the best of the 2016-17 campaign for the Soaring Eagles. While EC shot the ball at a high rate, maintaining possession proved to be a challenge for the Purple and Gold against a rigid AU defense. Backed by a hard-to-beat full-court press, the Saxons – who lead the Empire 8 Conference in turnover margin – forced Elmira to turn the ball over 27 times and netted 29 points off of turnovers.

Inside the Box Score

• Despite the loss, Elmira finished with advantages in field goal percentage (50.0-to-47.0), 3-point field goal percentage (47.4-to-34.8), and rebounds (32-to-29).
• EC made 21-of-42 field goals and 9-of-19 treys.
• The Saxons were 31-of-66 from the field and 8-of-23 from beyond the arc.
• Alfred finished with more steals (14-to-2) and blocks (3-to-2).
• AU doubled Elmira's point production in the paint, 44-to-22.
• Justin Porrett '19, who played all 40 minutes, paced the Soaring Eagles with 16 points, in addition to four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
• Adelson had nine points, all from 3-point range.
• Harkins scored eight points and hauled in a team-high five rebounds.
• Seelman netted a game-high 30 points for the Saxons.
• Seelman made 10-of-18 field goals, 4-of-10 treys, and 6-of-7 free throws.

News and Notes

• Elmira is now 3-20 on the season and 1-13 against Empire 8 competition.
• EC's 50.0 field goal percentage is its highest since shooting 50.8 percent from the field against the Saxons in the 2015-16 season finale against Alfred.
• Porrett notched is season consecutive game with double-digit points and his 13th such outing of the season.
• Davis is a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range at Speidel Gymnasium, despite entering his senior season with just two made 3-pointers to his name in his career.
• Adelson has finished with 3-or-more 3-pointers on five occasions during his debut season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will have a short turnaround, as Elmira heads to Rochester, New York, for the penultimate game of the 2016-17 season against St. John Fisher College tomorrow, Wednesday, February 15th. The E8 contest is slated to begin at 8:00 p.m.