Score: Utica College 93, Elmira College 77
Record: Utica (7-6, 2-2 E8), Elmira (3-11, 1-4 E8)
Location: Clark Athletic Center -- Utica, N.Y.
 
UTICA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team fell in Empire 8 Conference action to Utica College by a 93-77 final score on Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center in Utica, New York. The Soaring Eagles were overcome by a Pioneers' 14-2 run at the end of the first half that put a relatively close contest out of reach.

EC was led in today's bout by Justin Porrett '19, who scored a team-high 19 points and dished out a game-high seven assists. Jesse Adelson '20 finished next for the Soaring Eagles with 16 points. Henry Cuffee '19 rounded out Elmira's double-digit scorers, as he tallied 12 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals.  

Utica was able to keep today's lead by besting the Soaring Eagles in multiple statistical categories. The Pioneers were the better shooting team, going 32-for-58 (55.2 percent) from the floor in the tilt, while EC shot 28-for-70 (40.0 percent). UC also held leads in rebounds (47-to-29), assists (20-to-11) and made free throws (22-to-15). Despite the setback, Elmira did keep good control of the ball, only committing 10 turnovers in the game, compared to Utica's 18.

Today's tilt started off relatively evenly, as the Soaring Eagles and Pioneers stayed within 10 points of each other for a majority of the first half. After trailing 9-0 after the two and half minutes of the bout, EC answered with a 12-2 run of its own to surge ahead 12-11. Porrett was the catalyst of this run, as he scored eight-straight points for Elmira over a 1:36 span.

Over the next nine minutes, the contest remained close, as neither team was able to take a double-digit lead. At the end of this stretch, five consecutive points by Jeremy Every '20 brought the Soaring Eagles to within four points, 33-29.

It was at this point, however, that a 19-4 run by Utica that spanned the end of the first half and the start of the second gave the home team a commanding 19-point lead, 52-33, just over a minute into the final stanza. This double-digit advantage proved to be insurmountable for the Purple and Gold, as it would stay above 10 points for the remainder of the contest.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira fell to 3-11 overall and 1-4 inside Empire 8 play this season, while the Pioneers improved to 7-6 and 2-2 in conference action.
• EC forced Utica to 18 turnovers, which tied a season high by an Elmira opponent.
• The Soaring Eagles six made treys are tied for the second-lowest amount they have made this season.
• The Purple and Gold were held to just 11 assists today, which is tied for their second-lowest total of 2017-18.
• With 19 points today, Porrett has tallied at least 19 points in three of the last four contests.
• Adelson reached double-digit points for the ninth time in his sophomore campaign.
• Adelson's solid performance came in a season-high 32 minutes of play.
• Cuffee has scored in double-digits in all but two games this year.
• Freshman Shawn Backus '21 played a season-high 23 minutes and tallied six points and three boards.

 
Up Next
Elmira will continue conference play on Tuesday, January 16, when the Soaring Eagles welcome Alfred to Speidel Gymnasium for a 6:00 p.m. E8 bout.