Elmira at St. John Fisher
Game Details	Tuesday, Feb. 13 | Rochester, N.Y. | 6:00 p.m.
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Fisher Links	Roster | Schedule | Stats

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team continues Empire 8 Conference play on Tuesday, February 9, when EC challenges St. John Fisher College at the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym in Rochester, New York. The Soaring Eagles and Cardinals are scheduled to take flight at 6:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles suffered an 89-76 setback to the Pioneers of Utica College on Senior Day on Saturday at Speidel Gymnasium. The first half, which featured six technical fouls, was tense throughout and saw Elmira take a 39-37 lead into the halftime break. Unfortunately for EC, the Pioneers came out strong in the second half to pull away and take the conference victory. Henry Cuffee '19 led the Soaring Eagles with 25 points to go along with eight rebounds. Freshman Shawn Backus '21 also had a solid game, as he posted 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Rounding out Elmira's double-digit scorers were Justin Porrett '19 and Jesse Adelson '20, who tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
SIGNS OF GROWTH
Backus has shown flashes of great potential in his freshman season. In addition to Saturday's bout, Backus has cracked 10-or-more points three times. On the glass, the Hamden, Connecticut, native's nine rebounds against Utica were a season-high and his third game this year with at least five boards. Fellow rookie Mason Weir '21 has also been getting more playing time of late, seeing double-digit minutes in 13 of the last 14 games. For the season, Weir is averaging 4.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, ranking second to Backus in both categories among Elmira freshmen.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's matchup will mark the 72nd all-time meeting between the Soaring Eagles and Cardinals. Fisher enters the bout with a 57-14 lead over Elmira after winning the last 33 contests. Elmira last bested the Cardinals in the 2000-01 campaign, when the Soaring Eagles swept SJFC in both games that season.
 
SCOUTING ST. JOHN FISHER
After falling to Nazareth College by a 77-74 final score on Saturday, the Cardinals' record dropped to 13-10 overall and to 8-6 in E8 play. The setback puts Fisher in jeopardy of missing the E8 Championship Tournament for the first time since 2013-14, as it is currently fifth in the league standings. Despite being in the middle of the pack on the conference leaderboard, the Cardinals pace the E8 with a 48.4 field-goal percentage. At the forefront of this effective shooting is junior Jake Haight, who owns a team-high 62.1 field-goal percentage on the year. Sophomore Sammy Robinson has been another critical component of the Fisher offense, as he paces the team and is tied for eighth in the conference in points per game (14.7). Senior Tyler English, who ranks second on Fisher in points per game (12.2), has been fantastic from the free throw line. The guard from Lockport, New York, is averaging almost three foul shots per game and is converting them at a rate of 89.5 percent, the 22nd-best free-throw percentage in the country.
 
UP NEXT
Following Tuesday's tilt, the Soaring Eagles return to Speidel Gymnasium on Friday, February 16, to face the Stevens Institute of Technology, in the first of back-to-back home games to close the season. Opening tip-off for the league bout is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.