Elmira at Houghton College
Game Details	Tuesday, Jan. 9 | Houghton, N.Y. | 6:00 p.m.
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team continues its season-long three-game road trip on Tuesday, January 9, when the Soaring Eagles head to the Nielsen Center to challenge Houghton College at 6:00 p.m. in Empire 8 Conference action.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Purple and Gold fell in their first-ever meeting against The Sage Colleges by a 98-72 final score on Saturday afternoon in Albany, New York. Despite trailing by 10 points early in the second half, EC battled back to cut the deficit to just four points, 52-48, with 14:54 left on the clock. It was from this point, however, that the Gators put together a 15-2 run that put the contest out of Elmira's reach. The Soaring Eagles were led by Henry Cuffee '19 and Jesse Adelson '20, who each scored 10 points apiece. Cuffee also hauled in seven rebounds to pace the team. Justin Porrett '19 posted an all-around impressive performance, as he tallied eight points to go along with a game-high eight assists.  
 
MARCH OF DIMES
A key part of Elmira's offense this year has been passing the ball. The Soaring Eagles' conference-leading 17.3 assists per game, which rank 40th in the country, are an integral reason that EC ranks third in the E8 in points per game (81.1). At the forefront of this ball movement is Porrett, who is second in all of Division III in assists per game (7.5). The Dumont, New Jersey, native's effective passing is helping him progress quickly up Elmira's all-time assists leaderboard. With eight dimes against Sage, Porrett has accumulated 295 in his storied career, which ranks eighth overall in program history. With 90 assists in just 12 games, Porrett is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 114 helpers, which he set in his sophomore campaign.    
 
SCOUTING HOUGHTON
After beginning the season with wins in three of their first four games, the Highlanders have lost eight straight, which dropped their overall record to 3-9. In conference play, Houghton is 0-3 after falling in its most recent contest against Hartwick, 79-69, on Saturday. The main reason for these struggles may be traced to the Highlanders' struggles on offense, as Houghton ranks last in the conference in points per game (67.8). Despite the offensive problems as a team, junior guard Dylan Lambert has shown this season that he can score with anyone. The product of Amherst, New York, paces the E8 and ranks 16th in the country in points per game (23.3). The reigning Empire 8 All-Conference Second-Teamer has also done well rebounding the ball, as he is tied for third in the conference in double-doubles (3) and seventh in rebounds per game (6.7). Houghton's main facilitator this year has been senior guard Carl Holmes, who is averaging 4.1 assists per game, fifth-most in the E8. Both Lambert and Holmes have been two of the busiest players in the league, as the former is first in minutes player per game (36.9) and the latter is third (35.2).
 
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the Soaring Eagles and the Highlanders features 43 previous meetings. In those bouts, Elmira owns a commanding 34-9 advantage over its long-time foe. Houghton has gotten the better of EC of late, however, winning four straight since the 2015-16 season. In the most recent game of the series, Houghton took control of a back-and-forth contest in the fourth quarter to earn a 70-64 victory on February 4, 2017, at Speidel Gymnasium. Before this losing streak, the Purple and Gold had won six consecutive games over Houghton, all of which came by double figures.  
 
UP NEXT
Elmira returns to Empire 8 action on Saturday, January 13, with a road bout against Utica. The Soaring Eagles and the Pioneers are set to tip off at 2:00 p.m. at the Clark Gymnasium.