Score: Utica College 89, Elmira College 76
Records: Utica (14-9, 9-5 E8), Elmira (3-19, 1-12 E8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium -- Elmira, N.Y.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team and Utica College engaged in a fierce Empire 8 Conference contest on Saturday afternoon at Speidel Gymnasium, and despite an electric start from the Soaring Eagles, the Pioneers walked away winners by an 89-76 score.

Prior to the game, EC honored its three graduating seniors – Connor Bays '18, Paul Bischoff '18 and Hayden Harkins '18 – in a special Class of 2018 Recognition ceremony.

The tension inside Speidel could have been cut by a knife, as the first half of play saw the officials dole out six technical fouls. Adding to the atmosphere in front of a rowdy crowd of EC faithful were a few charges called against the Pioneers, which amped up the Elmira bench and added to the frustration for the Utica counterparts.

Thanks in large part to a notable first-half performance by Henry Cuffee '19, the Purple and Gold roared out of the starting gates and took an early lead. The junior forwarded nearly reached his season average before halftime, as he scored 16 of his team-leading 25 points in the first 11-plus minutes. Cuffee was responsible for seven of EC's first nine points, including one of his three 3-point field goals, giving Elmira a 9-2 cushion in the first two-and-a-half minutes of play.

Already up 15-8, the Soaring Eagles used an 8-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 23-10 midway through the opening period. The offensive spurt began with a Harkins 3-pointer and concluded with another trey off of hands of Cuffee.

Utica rallied to close the gap and grab the lead for the first time in the matchup. The Pioneers pieced together a 14-2 run of their own to turn a 10-point deficit into a slim 33-31 advantage, with the go-ahead points coming off of an Avery Coston trey at the 3:22 mark. However, a Jesse Adelson '20 steal led to a tying bucket, and the sophomore guard put EC up 39-37 before the intermission with a last-minute layup.

Alas, EC's first-half momentum didn't last, as the Pioneers appeared to solve Elmira's 2-3 zone defense and shot 60.0-percent (18-of-30) from the field in the second stanza. After a Harkins 3-pointer evened the score at 42-all, Utica took the lead for good on the next possession. Shawn Backus '21 tallied three points with an and-one to bring the Soaring Eagles within three, 55-52, with 12:18 to play, but reigning Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, Ivan Iton, posted six points to fuel the ensuing 9-0 Utica run. Iton picked up 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to guide the Pioneers to the win, their ninth E8 victory of the 2017-18 campaign.

News and Notes

• Following Saturday's loss, Elmira's record stands at 3-19 overall and 1-12 inside E8 play.
• EC's 21.4 3-point field-goal percentage marked its second-lowest of the season.
• Cuffee's 25 points equal his second-highest single-game output of the season.
• Justin Porrett '19 flirted with a double-double after scoring 12 points with nine assists.
• Porrett's 171 assists on the season are just 11 shy of the program single-season record, held by Reggie Rollins '88 (182).
• With 66 3-pointers this year, Harkins tied Shawn Blakeslee '00 for 10th place on the single-season charts.
• Backus added career-highs with nine rebounds and three steals to go along with 14 points, his second-best total of the year.

Up Next
The Elmira men will play on the road for the final time in 2017-18 on Tuesday, February 13, when the Soaring Eagles travel to Rochester, New York, to face the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College at 6:00 p.m.