Score: St. John Fisher College 75, Elmira College 63
Records: Fisher (18-5, 13-1 E8), Elmira (3-21, 1-14 E8)
Location: Pittsford, N.Y. - Manning and Napier Varsity Gym

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Junior forward Hayden Harkins '18 nearly led the Elmira College men's basketball team on an epic comeback against first-place St. John Fisher College, but the Cardinals pulled away late in the second half to secure a 75-63 Empire 8 Conference victory on Wednesday night.

Although the Soaring Eagles trailed the Cardinals for the entire 40 minutes, the Soaring Eagles remained within striking distance for the majority of the contest. Led by All-American center Keegan Ryan, Fisher pulled ahead by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the outstanding play of Henry Cuffee '19 brought EC within four points, 26-22, late in the period.

Fisher led 33-27 at the halftime break, and that lead once again ballooned as high as nine points on several occasions in the second half. Down 48-39 with 12-and-a-half minutes to play, Justin Ruback '18 sparked a rally with a 3-point field goal. Harkins followed with EC's next 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. His second trey during the run cut the deficit to just two points, 52-50. With just under seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Tampa, Florida, native finished a reverse layup to once again make it a two-point margin, 57-55, in favor of the Cards.

While six unanswered points extended the Fisher lead to 63-55, Kyle McCreery '20 responded for Elmira with a drive to the basket to bring EC within six points, 63-57. The hosts, however, all but sealed the win with a 3-ball off the hands of Tyler English 36 seconds later. English's trey gave the Cards a 68-57 advantage, and Fisher made its free throws down the stretch to keep the game out of reach.

Turning Point
In the first half, it was Cuffee who kept the Soaring Eagles alive, and in the second half, Harkins' hot hand had the EC bench buzzing, but it was Fisher's Ryan who controlled the game. He was nearly unstoppable in the low post en route to a game- and career-high 33 points. Elmira took advantage when he was subbed out; with Ryan on the bench in the second half, the Soaring Eagles whittled a nine-point Fisher lead down to just three points at 50-47. The All-American center returned to the game shortly thereafter and led the Cardinals to the regular season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming E8 Tournament.

Inside the Box

• Elmira finished with a 43.4 field goal percentage (23-for-53), slightly below Fisher's rate of 45.5 (25-for-55).
• EC connected on 9-of-20 (45.0 percent) of its 3-point attempts.
• Led by Ryan's 11-for-11 effort from the foul line, the Cards finished 20-for-23 from the charity stripe.
• Elmira was efficient from the line (88.9 percent), but attempted only nine free throws with eight makes.
• The Soaring Eagles were out-rebounded, 33-to-29.
• Elmira had more assists (16-to-13) and more blocks (3-to-2).
• Harkins scored 15 of his team-leading 21 points in the second half.
• Harkins finished 5-for-11 from beyond the arc.
• Conversely, Cuffee netted 13 of his 15 points in the first half.
• Cuffee hauled in a team-high seven rebounds.
• McCreery also reach double figures with 10 points.
• Justin Porrett '19 led all players with nine assists.
• Fisher's Ryan scored a game-high 33 points, was 11-of-14 from the field, and made all 11 of his free throws.

News and Notes

• Elmira is 3-21 overall and 1-14 inside Empire 8 play.
• Harkins tied his previous season high with 21 points.
• Harkins' five 3-pointers bring his season total to 64, just two shy of tying Shawn Blakeslee '00 for 10th place on the single-season leaderboard.
• For his career, Harkins has made 178 treys, which ranks fifth all-time in program history.
• Harkins is 13 3-point field goals shy of tying John Egan '94 for fourth place all-time.
• Cuffee reached double figures for the 11th time this season.
• McCreery's 10 points were one shy of his season high.
• Over the past two games, Ruback is a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range.

Up Next
Elmira closes the 2016-17 campaign on the road on Saturday, February 18th, when the Soaring Eagles visit the Pioneers of Utica College for a 4:00 p.m. matchup at Utica's Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.