Score: No. 4 Hamilton College 98, Elmira College 67
Records: Elmira (2-7), Hamilton (9-0)
Location: Margaret Bundy Scott Field House -- Clinton, N.Y.

CLINTON, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team was outmatched by the undefeated and No. 4 nationally-ranked Continentals of Hamilton College on Saturday afternoon, as the Soaring Eagles were beaten by a 98-67 final score.

The Soaring Eagle offense was limited to 29 points in the first half but settled in during the final 20 minutes against the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) power. EC shot 42.1 percent (16-of-38) in the second half, nearly matching the pace of the Continentals (44.4 percent) for the period. For the contest, the Purple and Gold finished with a 35.7 field-goal percentage (25-of-70).

Junior guard Jesse Adelson '20 produced a game-high-tying 21 points, 11 of which came in the second half. In 20 minutes off of the bench, Adelson shot 6-of-12 overall, 5-of-5 from the foul line, and buried a game-best four 3-point field goals to go along with five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Joining Adelson with double-digit points was Henry Cuffee '19 with 10, while fellow senior Justin Porrett '19 tallied nine points with three rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals.

Nationally-ranked Hamilton wasted little time taking a lead it would never relinquish, as Michael Grassy knocked down a two-point shot on the game's first possession. The Continentals opened the game with six consecutive points and a 13-2 run in the first three-and-a-half minutes. Anthony Abate '19 and Porrett scored four unanswered points in a brief flurry, as Porrett stripped Hamilton's Peter Hoffman and went the distance following an Abate jumper. That reduced the deficit to seven points at 13-6, but that was the last time Elmira closed the gap to single digits, as the Continentals responded with a 7-0 run of their own.

Down 56-29 at the break, the Soaring Eagles found a spark to begin the second half. After Hamilton's Kena Gilmour pushed his team's lead to 58-29, Elmira recorded 10 of the next 12 points, including six in a row on buckets from Kyle Kokoskie '22, Cuffee, and Abate. Hamilton's defense tightened up, however, holding EC scoreless for nearly four minutes following an Adelson 3-pointer at the 13:24 mark. From there, Gilmour, a preseason All-America selection, helped close the game with 10 straight points, which included an and-one and 3-pointer for the hosts.

News and Notes

• Elmira ended the 2018 portion of the season with a 2-7 overall record.
• Hamilton, which has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the D3hoops.com national poll, improved to 9-0 with the win.
• EC held Hamilton to its second-lowest 3-point field-goal percentage of the year at 23.7 percent (9-of-38).
• Cuffee scored in double figures for the seventh time as a senior.
• Adelson tied a season-high with 21 points, while his five free throws and five rebounds are both single-game bests.
• Porrett needs two more assists to tie the program's all-time record, held by Reggie Rollins '88 (488).

Up Next
Following an extended layoff during the holiday break, the Soaring Eagles will commence Empire 8 Conference play in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Friday, January 4, against Stevens Institute of Technology. Tip-off versus the Ducks is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.