Score: The Sage Colleges 86, Elmira College 85
Records: Sage (9-11, 4-7 E8), Elmira (3-16, 1-9 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center -- Pine Valley, New York

PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- A near second-half comeback fell short for the Elmira College men's basketball team against The Sage Colleges on Saturday afternoon, as the Soaring Eagles were clipped by the Gators in an 86-85 Empire 8 Conference contest. The game was played at the Murray Athletic Center, as part of the 36th Annual EC Athletics Alumni Weekend festivities.

The Gators led by as many as 16 points in the first half and carried a 47-34 advantage into the intermission. Despite the deficit, the Soaring Eagles flashed comeback potential on numerous occasions in the second half. That included a 6-0 run that was sparked by Justin Porrett '19 steals on back-to-back Sage possessions and reduced a 55-42 Gators lead down to just seven points, 55-48.

Midway through the second half, Henry Cuffee '19 stripped Sage's Kevin Lenehan and went coast-to-coast, finishing with a two-handed slam that once again made it a seven-point difference in favor of the Gators, this time at 65-58. Sage responded by extending its lead back to double-digits at 76-63 with six-and-a-half minutes to go, but the Soaring Eagles clawed their way back into contention with 3-pointers from Hayden Harkins '18 and Jesse Adelson '20 over the next minute.

Harkins buried another trey with a little over three minutes remaining in regulation to make it a two-possession game, 78-74. Then Cuffee joined in the aerial assault by scoring a 3-pointer inside the two-minute mark, a clutch shot that brought the Purple and Gold within one point of the lead, 78-77.

The Gators seemingly dashed any hopes of an Elmira comeback with seven consecutive free throws, but Jeremy Every '20 went on a 5-0 run of his own in a span of 21 seconds to make things interested. After converting one of his patented mid-range shots, Every stole the ball from Anthony Mitchell and was fouled on the ensuing layup. The and-one foul shot whittled the deficit down to one possession at 85-82 with 15 ticks left in the game. The game-winning point was netted by Isaiah Scurry, who made the second half of his two free throws with nine seconds on the clock, which was enough to negate a buzzer-beating 3-point field goal from Adelson.

News and Notes

• Elmira falls to 3-16 overall and 1-9 against Empire 8 competition.
• The loss is Elmira's first of the 2018 season by a single point.
• EC recorded a season-best nine steals against the Gators.
• Cuffee scored 20-plus points in a game for the seventh time this year and has done so in each of the last two contests.
• Cuffee has made multiple 3-pointers in three consecutive games.
• With eight assists, Porrett increased his total to 149, second-most in a single season in program history.
• Porrett ranks fourth all-time with 354 career assists, one shy of Mike Correale '96 (355) for third place.
• Every scored in double-figures for the 10th time in his sophomore campaign.
• Adelson made four 3-pointers, just one shy of his season-high.
• Shawn Backus '21 posted season-highs for rebounds (8) and assists (5) while scoring double-digit points for the second time in his career.

Up Next
Elmira will travel to Oneonta, New York, to face the Hartwick College Hawks in Empire 8 action on Tuesday, February 6, at 6:00 p.m.