Score: Alfred University 98, Elmira College 89
Record: Alfred (11-4, 4-2 E8), Elmira (3-12, 1-5 E8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium -- Elmira, N.Y.
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- A fantastic late comeback attempt by the Elmira College men's basketball team came up just short in Empire 8 Conference action at Speidel Gymnasium tonight, as the Purple and Gold suffered a 98-89 loss at the hands of Alfred University.

Jeremy Every '20 led the way for the Soaring Eagles with a team-high 21 points to go along with two assists and two steals. Fellow sophomore Jesse Adelson '20 was also fantastic tonight, as he poured in 19 points, in addition to seven rebounds and four assists. Classmates Henry Cuffee '19 and Justin Porrett '19 both delivered their normal dependable outings, as the former finished with 16 points and eight boards and the latter recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.  

Both teams finished the evening with similar statistical performances, as the main differentiating factor was second-half shooting efficiency. The Saxons came out the locker room and shot a scorching 77.8 percent (21-for-27) from the field, while the Purple and Gold went a solid 52.6 percent (20-for-38). Elmira was also just outrebounded by Alfred (36-to-34).

It was a tightly contested first half, as EC went into the halftime break down just two points, 39-37. In terms of shooting, the Saxons went 16-for-37 (34.2 percent) from the floor, compared to Elmira, who shot 14-for-35 (40.0 percent) from the field. Both teams finished tied in rebounds with 22 apiece. Every led the Soaring Eagles in scoring in the half, as he tallied 11.

The action really picked up in the second half of play, as both teams came out of the locker rooms firing. The Saxons were especially lethal, making their first eight shots out of the break. Despite facing such hot shooting, Elmira kept the game close, only trailing by three, 59-56, by Alfred's first miss. Unfortunately for EC, the Saxons went on another tear, as a 26-11 extended run over the next 10:26 put the Soaring Eagles' deficit at 18 points, 85-67.

This hole did not deter the Purple and Gold, however, as they were able to whittle it down to six points, 91-85, with a fantastic stretch by Every. The sophomore from Sacramento, California, would score eight of 10 straight points by the Soaring Eagles, which culminated in a pair of free throws with 1:15 left on the clock. Every's energy came from making fantastic plays on the EC full-court press, as the Saxons committed three turnovers in the stretch, one of which being an Every steal.

A Cuffee layup five seconds later cut the margin further, bringing EC within four points, 91-87. Unfortunately for Elmira, this would be the closest it would get, as the Saxons held on in the final minutes, securing a 98-89 victory on the road.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira fell to 3-12 overall and 1-5 inside Empire 8 play this season, while the Saxons improved to 11-4 and 4-2 in conference action.
• EC finished the game with a 46.6 field-goal percentage (34-for-73), which ranks as its second-highest total in a loss.
• Alfred's 57.8 percent shooting clip stands as the second highest by a Purple and Gold opponent this year.
• Every's 21 points against the Saxons is the second most he has scored in his career, just trailing the 23 he posted against Keystone College on November 18.
• Every has also been lights out from the charity stripe, as he has not missed more than one free throw in a game all season, going 7-for-8 tonight.  
• With 12 points and 10 assists tonight, Porrett now has three double-doubles this season.
• Adelson has played fantastic of late, as he has scored double-digit points in four consecutive games.
• Adelson's seven rebounds tied a season high for the sophomore.
• Cuffee remains one of the most consistent scorers on the Soaring Eagles, as he has reached at least 10 points in all but two games this season and he continues paces the team in points per game (15.9).
• With 11 points tonight, Mason Weir '21 recorded a new career-high scoring total.

 
Up Next
Elmira will take a week off from competition before welcoming Nazareth College to Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday, January 23, for an E8 showdown. The league bout is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m.