Score: St. John Fisher College 91, Elmira College 82
Records: St. John Fisher (7-4, 2-0 E8), Elmira (2-9, 0-2 E8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, N.Y.
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College men's basketball team was unable to hold onto its one-point lead at the halftime break, as the defending Empire 8 Conference champs, St. John Fisher College, rallied for a 91-82 league victory at Speidel Gymnasium.

Justin Porrett '19 led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field, which included a 3-for-5 mark from 3-point range, and a tied for the game high in assists with five. A total of four players logged double-digits. Joining Porrett with double figures was Hayden Harkins '18 (17), Henry Cuffee '19 (13) and Jeremy Every '20 (11). Cuffee also ended the contest with a game-high 11 rebounds to collect his seventh double-double of the season.

EC and Fisher battled for much of the first half, as the two teams traded the lead on multiple occasions. The Soaring Eagles started to pull away about eight minutes into the contest with an 8-0 run that gave them an eight-point lead, 31-23. The push was capped off by a layup from Anthony Abate '19.

Elmira's sharp-shooting from 3-point range helped the Soaring Eagles take a one-point lead, 42-41, into the halftime break. Four different players knocked down treys for the Purple and Gold, including Harkins, who went 2-for-4 from distance in the opening 20 minutes. For the half, EC shot 5-for-10 (50.0 percent) from deep, while SJFC went just 2-for-10 (20.0 percent).

Fisher's efforts on the boards kept the Cardinals within striking distance of Elmira, as the visitors held a 12-rebound advantage, 26-14, in the first half. Eight of Cardinals came on the offensive glass, which resulted in 11 second-chance points. Sammy Robinson paced Fisher with five rebounds in addition to 12 points in the opening stanza.

The Cardinals took their largest lead of the game, 57-45, in the first five minutes of the second half thanks to a 16-3 run that was fueled by steals and second-chance points. Thankfully, back-to-back 3-balls from Porrett and Jesse Adelson '20 cut the Fisher lead to singles digits at 57-51.

Elmira continued to battle for the next five minutes, even cutting the margin to just three points on multiple occasions. The latest that EC was down by three was at the 6:48 mark of the fourth, when Harkins sank a contested trey to put the score at 73-70. Unfortunately for the Soaring Eagles, this would be the closest that they would get for the remainder of the bout. Tyler English sealed the game for the Cards by going on a 4-0 run of his own to give Fisher a decisive 86-75 advantage.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira falls to 2-9 overall and 0-2 inside Empire 8 play this season, while the Cardinals improve to 7-4 and 2-0 in conference play.
• Fisher held the Soaring Eagles to a season-low 27 rebounds, while SJFC grabbed 48.
• EC tied a season-high with 27 personal fouls, which led to 49 free-throw attempts by the Cards, the most by an Elmira opponent this year.
• The Purple and Gold have made five-or-more steals in five consecutive games.
• The Soaring Eagles knocked down double-digit 3-pointers for the fourth time this season.
• Fisher tied Oswego State with 17 offensive rebounds, the most by an EC foe this year.
• Porrett tied a career-best with 26 points tonight.
• With 13 points and 11 rebounds, Cuffee recorded his seventh double-double of the season.
• With two blocks tonight, Cuffee has 19 on the season, which is a career high for the junior.

 
Up Next
EC returns to E8 action on Saturday, January 6, with a road bout against the conference's newest affiliate, The Sage Colleges. The bout is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Gators' Kahl Gymnasium in Albany, New York.