Elmira at The Sage Colleges
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 6 | Albany, N.Y. | 2:00 p.m.
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team begins on a season-long three-game road trip this weekend, starting with an Empire 8 Conference tilt against The Sage Colleges on Saturday, January 6. The contest is slated to start at 2:00 p.m. at the Kahl Gymnasium in Albany, New York.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Purple and Gold suffered a 91-82 defeat at the hands of St. John Fisher on Thursday evening at Speidel Gymnasium. EC owned a slim one-point lead, 42-41, heading into the halftime break, but a 16-3 run by the Cardinals at the start of the second half proved to be too much for Elmira. Fisher's main advantage in the contest came in the post, as a 48-to-27 advantage in rebounds resulted in a 52-to-22 lead in points in the paint. The Soaring Eagles were led by Justin Porrett '19, who scored a career-high-tying 26 points, in addition to dishing out four assists and grabbing four rebounds. Hayden Harkins '18 also had a stellar game, as he scored 17 points and sank five 3-pointers. With 13 points and 11 rebounds, Henry Cuffee '19 posted his seventh double-double of the season.
 
MAKE IT A DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Cuffee has been all over the court this season, as he leads the Soaring Eagles in both points (16.5) and rebounds per game (9.2). This proficiency has made the Bel Air, Maryland, native a double-double machine. In 11 games this season, Cuffee already has seven double-doubles, which paces the E8 and is tied for 10th in the country. Coming into this year, Cuffee had posted three double-doubles in his career, a mark he would eclipse by the fourth game of the season. Not all of his double-double performances have come by pounding the glass, either, as he dished out a career-best 10 assists to go along with 10 points in Elmira's 103-90 victory over Oswego State on November 19.
 
SCOUTING SAGE
The Sage Colleges, the Empire 8's newest affiliate, own a 4-5 overall record to start the season after beginning their league slate with an 88-74 loss to Nazareth on Tuesday. The Gators have been at their best this season when active on the boards. Sage paces the conference in both total rebounds (43.7) and offensive rebounds per game (16.2), as it ranks ninth in the country in the latter and 30th in the former. Forwards Kevin Lenehan (7.6) and Chris Kidd (7.0) lead this dominance on the block, as duo ranks first and second on the team in boards per game, respectively. Lenehan, a 6-foot-7-inch junior from Delanson, New York, has also been a terror for opposing offenses, as he ranks fifth in the E8 in blocks per game (1.1). Kidd, on the other hand, has been more of an offensive threat and leads the team with a 15.5 points-per-game average. Sophomore guard Isaiah Scurry has helped take some of the load off of Kidd, as he is averaging 15.2 points per game.      
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's bout not only marks the first meeting between the Soaring Eagles and the Gators as conference foes, but it also stands as the first-ever contest between these two programs. Sage joins Keystone as the only two teams that Elmira challenged for the first time this season.
 
UP NEXT
EC will continue its season-long three-game road trip with a bout against Houghton College on Tuesday, January 9. The Soaring Eagles and the Highlanders will tip off at 6:00 p.m. at the Nielsen Center in Houghton, New York.