Elmira at Utica College
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 13 | Utica, N.Y. | 2:00 p.m.
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team eyes its second consecutive Empire 8 Conference victory on Saturday, January 13, when the Soaring Eagles head to Utica, New York, to challenge the Pioneers of Utica College. Tip-off for the league bout is slated for 2:00 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center.
 
LAST TIME OUT
EC earned its first E8 win of the season on Tuesday evening, when the Purple and Gold defeated Houghton by an 86-80 final score at the Highlanders' Nielsen Center. Despite facing a four-point halftime deficit, 40-36, Elmira came out at the start of the second half and began to find its stroke. In the stanza, the Soaring Eagles built a 55-50 advantage with about 15 minutes reaming that Houghton was unable to overcome. This added energy was fueled by an impressive performance from Justin Porrett '19, who was responsible for 16 of the Purple and Gold's final 29 points and scored 19 of his team-leading 23 points in the second half. Henry Cuffee '19 also had a noteworthy outing, as the junior forward finished the contest with 19 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year. In his first start of the season, sophomore guard Jesse Adelson '20 tallied 14 points and went 3-for-5 (60.0 percent) from behind the 3-point arc.
 
CLEANING THE GLASS
Cuffee has really improved his post play between his sophomore and junior campaigns. This season, the Bel Air, Maryland, native paces the E8 with a career-high 9.2 rebounds per game, which is exactly four rebounds higher than his average from last season. When you add in his career-high 16.2 points-per-game average, Cuffee has become a double-double machine. In 13 games this year, Cuffee already has eight double-doubles, which is tied for ninth-most in the country. He became the first Soaring Eagle to record eight double-doubles in a campaign since Jon Adamson '10 did so in 2008-09. If he is able to keep this pace up, Cuffee is on pace to finish the season with the eighth-highest rebounds-per-game average of any Soaring Eagle in program history.
 
SCOUTING UTICA
A very tough schedule to start the season has resulted in a 6-6 start for the Pioneers. All six teams that Utica has fallen to this year own records above .500. In the E8, the Pioneers are 1-2 after picking up their first conference win of the season against Hartwick, 84-71, on Thursday. Programs that challenge the Utica quickly realize that this team is led by solid defense. Entering Saturday's tilt, the Pioneers lead the league and are tied for 58th in the country in blocked shots per game (4.1), in addition to ranking second in the conference in points allowed per game (73.8). UC's stingy defense is aided greatly by the 2017 Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Ivan Iton. The Ossining, New York, native has continued his post dominance as a senior, as his league-leading 2.00 blocks per game is tied for 29th in all of Division III. Iton also paces the Pioneers in points (14.5), rebounds per game (8.2), and field-goal percentage (58.8). With1,027 career points, Iton needs just two against Elmira to crack Utica's top-10 all-time scoring leaders
 
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the Soaring Eagles and Pioneers has featured 62 previous encounters. Of those meetings, Utica owns a 37-25 advantage over its conference foe and has won five consecutive games in the series. Elmira last tasted victory over the Pioneers on January 9, 2015, when it earned a 75-64 victory at Speidel Gymnasium. A 53-49 triumph on January 10, 2014, marks the Purple and Gold's most recent win in Utica.
 
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles continue with Empire 8 play with a home bout against Alfred University on Tuesday, January 16. The league contest is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. at Speidel Gymnasium.