ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team travels to Alfred, New York, for an Empire 8 Conference matchup against the rival Saxons of Alfred University on Saturday, January 27. The league contest tips-off at 2:00 p.m. in the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles fell to Hartwick College in Empire 8 Conference action on Thursday evening on their home hardwood at Speidel Gymnasium. A 17-7 run by the Hawks contributed to a 18-point advantage, 48-30, by the halftime break. Elmira was unable to dig itself out of the deficit, resulting in a 101-72 final score.
Alex Ischiropoulos '20 led the Purple and Gold with a team-high 16 points, 12 of which came from 3-point range, in addition to two boards and an assist. Double-digit scoring efforts also came from
Justin Porrett '19 and
Henry Cuffee '19, who chipped in with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Cuffee concluded the night with a double-double thanks to an 11-rebound effort, five of which came on the offensive glass. Porrett added eight rebounds, six dimes and a game-high three steals.
BREAKOUT GAME
Sophomore guard Ischiropoulos had a breakout performance in the Soaring Eagles' last contest, scoring a season-high 16 points in a season-best 17 minutes of action. The Media, Pennsylvania native finished with four made 3-pointers, which is just the third time in his two seasons with Elmira that he has made four-or-more treys in a game. Ischiropoulos went a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line for the seventh time in his career, contributing to a 93.8% career free-throw percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the Soaring Eagles and Saxons remains one of the most tightly contested in the histories of these two programs. In 66 previous meetings between these two teams, Alfred owns a 34-32 advantage over Elmira, a lead it got by winning four-straight bouts in the series. That includes earlier this season on Tuesday, January 16, when Alfred bested EC by a score of 98-89. EC last bested the Saxons on January 21, 2016, when the Soaring Eagles earned a 76-72 triumph at Speidel Gymnasium.
SCOUTING ALFRED
The Saxons have won their last four league contests heading into this Saturday's matchup with the Soaring Eagles, including a 78-54 victory over Utica College last Saturday at home. Overall, Alfred's record stands at 13-4 and 6-2 in Empire 8 play, ranking them third in the conference. It will be a full week on Saturday since the Saxons' last matchup, which pushed them up to third in the conference rankings for offense with an average of 82.4 points per game. Senior guard Nick Schmidt '18 currently leads the conference with both a 43.4 3-point field-goal percentage and 89.6 free-throw percentage, along with ranking 13th overall in individual scoring (13.6 ppg). Junior guard Scotty Stopera '19,who ranks second on the team with 12.4 points per game, made a game-high five 3-pointers against Elmira in their last matchup, putting up a total of 21 points that contest. The Saxons' starting five has been consistent for the entire season thus far, which each averaging double-digit figures through 17 games.
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles return to action on Saturday, February 3, when Elmira welcomes The Sage Colleges to the Murray Athletic Center for the 36th Annual Elmira College Athletics Alumni Weekend. The league tilt is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.
