ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team is set for an Empire 8 Conference matchup against Nazareth College on Thursday, February 8, at the Kidera Gymnasium in Rochester, New York. Tip-off between the Soaring Eagles and the Golden Flyers is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles fell to Hawks of Hartwick College, 104-81, on Tuesday at the Lambros Arena in Oneonta, New York. After a slow start in the first half that allowed the Hawks to grab a 49-37 lead at the break, Elmira was unable to dig itself out of that deficit in the second half.
Henry Cuffee '19 and
Alex Ischiropoulos '20 led the team with 16 points apiece, while freshman guard
Mason Weir '21 scored 11 points after going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Justin Porrett '19 tallied 13 assists, which is his second-highest single-game total of the season and the sixth time he's dished out 10-or-more assists.
HEATING UP
Sophomore guard Ischiropoulos played a season-high 20 minutes against Hartwick and tied his season-highs for points (16) and made 3-pointers (4). The Media, Pennsylvania native has made four 3-pointers in three of the last four games, including both meetings against the Hawks this season. After a slow start to the season, in which he averaged just 2.5 points per game in the first 16 games, Ischiropoulos has become a strong offensive weapon, averaging 11.0 points per game off of the Elmira bench in the last four. His consistency at the free-throw line continued after going 4-for-4 against Hartwick, fourth time this season he has gone perfect from the foul line.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's tilt marks the 66th all-time meeting between the Soaring Eagles and Golden Flyers, a series that dates back to the 1978-79 campaign. EC has not bested Naz in the series since 2004-05, when Elmira earned a 71-66 victory in the Southern Tier on February 19, 2005.
SCOUTING NAZARETH
The Golden Flyers, who rank first in the Empire 8 with an 11-2 record in conference play (16-6 overall), have won their last five games heading into Thursday's matchup. Nazareth's last loss was to Utica, 59-56, on Friday, January 26 on its home court at Kidera Gymnasium. Naz ranks fifth offensively with 80.5 points per game and fourth on defense, allowing 75.3 points per game to the opposition. The Golden Flyers are ranked second in both team 3-point shooting percentage (37.6) and overall shooting percentage (46.6) in the E8, which has contributed to their success. Senior guard Tyler Stenglein leads the team in scoring and is second in the E8 in points per game (19.5). Jake Burgio is second in scoring for the Golden Flyers (15.8 ppg) and ranks sixth in the conference, along with the league's second-best field-goal percentage (59.3). Burgio also leads the E8 in rebounds per game (9.1) and is fifth in blocks per game (1.2).
UP NEXT
Elmira will welcome the Pioneers of Utica College on Saturday, February 10, for the second meeting of this year's Empire 8 series. Tip-off for the conference matchup is set for 2:00 p.m. in Speidel Gymnasium.
