Score: Nazareth College 101, Elmira College 91
Record: Nazareth (11-5, 6-1 E8), Elmira (3-13, 1-6 E8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium -- Elmira, N.Y.
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team fell in Empire 8 Conference action to Nazareth College by a 101-91 final score on Tuesday evening at Speidel Gymnasium, despite getting a triple-double from Justin Porrett '19, who finished the evening with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

In addition to Porrett's full stat sheet, EC also received stellar performances from Shawn Backus '21 and Henry Cuffee '19. Backus posted career highs in points (19), rebounds (5) and minutes (31). Cuffee also poured in 19 points, in addition to grabbing six boards and dishing out four assists. Rounding out Elmira's double-digit scorers was Jesse Adelson '20, who scored 16 points, his fifth consecutive game with at least 10 points.

The Golden Flyers' major advantage tonight was their hot shooting, as they went 40-for-66 (60.6 percent) from the floor, compared to Elmira, who shot 36-for-77 (46.8 percent) from the field. Otherwise, EC owned a 37-to-30 lead in rebounds and both teams finished tied in assists (19) and turnovers (11).

The two teams came out strong at the start of the first half, as the score quickly rose to 11-8 after the first three minutes. The Golden Flyers owned the early advantage, after they orchestrated a 6-0 in a one-minute span. Naz added to its lead with a 9-0 run that ended at the 7:23 mark of the first half that gave Nazareth a half-high 11-point advantage, 38-27.

Elmira answered with an 11-2 run of its own to draw the margin back to two points, 40-38, with 3:40 left before the halftime break. EC even tied the score at 46-all with a pair of Porrett free throws in the final minute, but a late push by the Golden Flyers would give the road team a 50-46 lead heading into the locker room for halftime.

An 11-2 start to the second half widened Naz's lead to 13 points, 61-48, just under four minutes into the stanza. This double-digit advantage stood for the next 14 minutes, even reaching a game-high 17 points, until an EC rally cut the margin to nine points, 93-84. A Backus trey with 1:01 left on the clock brought the Soaring Eagles the closest they would get, 95-87, but it proved to not be enough, as Naz made its late free throws to clinch the conference win.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira fell to 3-13 overall and 1-6 inside Empire 8 play this season, while the Golden Flyers improved to 11-5 and 6-1 in conference action.
• Nazareth's 60.6 field-goal percentage is the second-highest clip by an EC opponent this season.
• The Soaring Eagles have allowed five 100-point games this year.
• The Purple and Gold have cracked 90 points five times this season, a feat they did not reach once last year.
• Porrett's triple-double is the first for Elmira in over 17 seasons.
• Porrett continues to rank second in the country in assists per game (7.9)
• Backus recorded new career his in points (19), rebounds (5) and minutes (31).
• With 19 points, Cuffee has scored double-digit points in six-straight games and has done it in all but two bouts this season.
• With 16 points tonight, Adelson has scored at least 10 in each of the last five contests.

 
Up Next
Elmira will be back on the court in just two days, as the Soaring Eagles welcome Hartwick College to Speidel Gymnasium on Thursday, January 25. The Empire 8 bout is slated to tip off at 6:00 p.m.