Score: Elmira College 86, Houghton College 80
Records: Elmira (3-10, 1-3 Empire 8), Houghton (3-10, 0-4 Empire 8)
Location: Houghton, N.Y. -- The Nielsen Center

HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team erased a four-point halftime deficit to defeat Houghton College by an 86-80 final score and secure its first Empire 8 Conference victory of the season on Tuesday night in Houghton, New York.

The Purple and Gold led by as many as nine points in the first half, but the Highlanders rebounded from an 18-9 hole and carried a 40-36 advantage into the locker room at the intermission. After the break, the Soaring Eagles buried 3-point field goals on their first two possessions to even the score at 42-all and Jeremy Every '20 completed a coast-to-coast layup following a steal to put EC on top, 44-42.

The game was last tied at 50-50 with approximately 15 minutes remaining in the second half. Henry Cuffee '19 gave Elmira the lead for good with two of his 19 points and Mason Weir '21 followed up with a trey after stripping Houghton's Carter Price on the ensuing possession to increase the gap to 55-50.

The Highlanders came within one point of the lead on numerous occasions throughout the remainder of the contest, but Elmira had an answer every time to preserve its advantage, thanks in large part to an incredible second-half performance by Justin Porrett '19. He scored 19 of his team-high 23 points in the second half and was responsible for 16 of Elmira's final 29 points. Up 57-56, Porrett had a hand in EC's next seven field goals, scoring six of them and assisting on a Shawn Backus '21 jumper. He single-handedly turned the one-point lead into a four-point cushion, as the junior point guard deposited a layup, swiped the ball from Houghton's Jordan Holmes and tallied two more points to quickly make It a 61-56 score.

The Highlanders looked to gain some momentum after their leading scorer, Dylan Lambert, converted an and-one with just over two minutes to go. That play brought Houghton within two points, 79-77, but Cuffee matched the feat with an unconventional three-point play of his own on the other end of the court, all but sealing the win for the Soaring Eagles with 1:37 remaining on the clock.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Randie Torgalski on the second-half adjustments that helped Elmira come from behind...
"We picked up the tempo defensively. We only had two forced turnovers in the first half, but in the second half we had much more urgency and forced 10 turnovers, which led to positive momentum for us. We got the energy going in the right direction."

Coach Torgalski when asked about picking up the first Empire 8 win of the season on the road...
"Any conference win is a big win. This group needed a positive result and we got one tonight. We found a way to get it done. It wasn't always pretty, but we made enough plays. I am proud of the resiliency we have shown this year. The boys keep coming to work and keep battling."

Coach Torgalski on the play of Justin Porrett in the second half...
"Justin is a tough kid. He's improved his game each year here at EC and he stepped up tonight. He made some good reads against how they played him and shot the ball with confidence. I know his teammates wanted him to take those shots, the coaching staff as well."

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 3-10 overall and 1-3 against Empire 8 competition.
• The Soaring Eagles are 35-9 all-time against Houghton following Tuesday night's win, which ended a run of four consecutive victories for the Highlanders in the series.
• The win over the Highlanders was also the first for the Soaring Eagles away from Speidel Gymnasium since November 26, 2016, when Elmira beat Vassar College in a neutral site game in Rochester, New York.
• EC, which finished the game with a 51.5 field-goal percentage, is 3-0 this season when shooting above 50.0 percent from the field.
• Porrett's 11 field goals and 68.8 field-goal percentage are both season highs.
• With 19 points and 11 rebounds, Cuffee posted his eighth double-double of the season.
• Jesse Adelson '20, who made his first start of the season at Houghton, scored double figures for the eighth time in his sophomore campaign.
• Backus had season highs in both points (6) and rebounds (4), while playing a season-best 17 minutes.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will finish their current three-game road trip on Saturday, January 13, when the EC men visit the Pioneers of Utica College for an Empire 8 contest at 2:00 p.m.