Score: Purchase College 90, Elmira College 83
Records: Purchase (1-2), Elmira (1-3)
Location: Max Ziel Gymnasium – Oswego, N.Y.
 
OSWEGO, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team saw a double-digit second-half lead turn into a seven-point setback, as the Panthers of Purchase College topped the Soaring Eagles, 90-83, in the consolation game of the Max Ziel Tournament. Elmira's Shawn Backus '21 was selected to the All-Tournament Team, after averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in games against Oswego State and Purchase.
 
Backus finished today's contest with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor, including a 3-for-4 mark from 3-point range. He also collected six rebounds, all on the defensive glass, and one assist.
 
Justin Porrett '19 continued his strong start to the 2018-19 campaign with a season-high 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. He also pulled down six boards, made a game-high three steals and dished out a game-high eight assists.
 
Henry Cuffee '19 joined Porrett and Backus as EC's trio of double-digit point scorers, as the senior forward finished with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Cuffee also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.  
 
Elmira took its first double-digit lead of the game at the 12:54 mark thanks to a 14-3 run that spanned nearly five minutes. Backus and Jesse Adelson '20 fueled the run by combining for nine of EC's 14 points, while Isiah Charles '21 capped the run with a deep 3-ball for the Soaring Eagles.
 
EC's first-half lead hovered around seven points until the Soaring Eagles took their largest lead of the game, 29-16, at the 9:24 mark. Purchase eventually chipped away at the lead throughout the half, cutting it down to just three points, 41-38, but EC closed out the final 3:06 of the first half on an 8-3 run to take a 49-41 lead into the halftime break.
 
Porrett fueled EC's first-half offense with 16 points and six assists, while Backus, Cuffee and Charles combined for 24 points. The key for the Soaring Eagles in the opening 20 minutes was consistent shooting from the floor, 20-for-40, and a 4-for-12 mark from 3-point range.
 
In the second half, Elmira pushed its lead to 10 points on two occasions, but the pesky Panthers slowly chipped away at the Purple and Gold's lead throughout the final 20 minutes and eventually took their first lead of the game, 68-67, at the 8:15 minute mark.
 
Elmira tied the contest back up, 70-70, behind a 3-ball from Cuffee, but Purchase quickly reclaimed its lead and never relinquished it for the remainder of the contest. The Panthers went up by as many as seven points during the final stretch of the game, and EC even pulled to within in two points, but that was as close as the Soaring Eagles came as Purchase went on to claim a 90-83 win.
 
News and Notes

• Backus was selected to the Max Ziel All-Tournament Team.
• Backus tied his season-high point total with 22.
• Porrett finished with a season-high 24 points and led all players today with eight assists.
• Cuffee logged his third double-digit performance of the season.
• Elmira went 34-for-74 (45.9%) from the field and 7-for-26 (26.9%) from 3-point range.
• EC was 8-for-16 (50.0%) from the charity stripe.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles are back in action next Saturday, November 24, when they travel to the Flower City to take on the University of Rochester in the opening round of the Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown Tournament. The opening tip is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Rochester, New York.