Score: Hartwick College 108, Elmira College 98
Records: Elmira (3-10, 1-3 E8), Hartwick (7-9, 3-4 E8)
Location: Lambros Arena -- Oneonta, N.Y.

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- In a fast-paced and high-scoring Empire 8 Conference men's basketball game, Elmira College fell to the host Hawks of Hartwick College by a final score of 108-98 on Friday night at Hartwick's Lambros Arena.

The marathon saw the two feathered foes combine for 206 points on 163 attempted field goals, including 81 shots from 3-point range. In the first half, the Soaring Eagles shot an even 50.0 percent from the floor (23-of-46) and 55.0 percent (11-of-20) from beyond the arc, helping EC secure a narrow lead at halftime.

After the Hawks converted a 3-pointer on their first possession, the Soaring Eagles went on an 8-0 run to grab the lead for the first time. The first five Elmira points came from the second-year forward Shawn Backus '21, who paced the Soaring Eagles with 22 points on the night. Following a Backus' trey, Jesse Adelson '20 sunk one of his own to put EC ahead 8-3 less than two minutes into the opening half.

On a few occasions in the first half, it looked like Hartwick might distance itself from Elmira, only to see the Soaring Eagles claw back into the game. With the score tied at 45-all, the Hawks took their largest lead of the first half by scoring the next eight points. Down 55-47 with 2:21 remaining before the break, EC went on a 12-2 run that was punctuated by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Jeremy Every '20. Every's last-second shot turned a one-point deficit into a 57-55 advantage.

Unable to maintain its efficiency on offense, Elmira was held to 39 points on 13-of-47 shooting (27.7 percent) on the other end of the halftime intermission. EC last led the Hawks 62-61 following an Anthony Abate '19 trey at the 18:26 mark of the second half. A second-chance basket from Rashaad Nurse '22 brought the Soaring Eagles within two points of the Hawks, 80-78, near the midway point of the second stanza, but EC was held without a point for the next five minutes as the Hawks pulled away.

Backus missed only one shot in the contest, going 9-of-10 en route to a team-leading 22 points. He was one of six Soaring Eagles to finish in double figures, including Every (17), Nurse (12), Adelson (12), Justin Porrett '19 (11) and Kyle McCreery '20 (10).

Porrett, who already broke Elmira's career record for assists earlier this season, reached another milestone on Friday night. With his 11 points, the Dumont, New Jersey, native etched his name among exclusive company by joining the 1,000-point club. Porrett is the 17th Soaring Eagle to surpass 1,000 points and the first since Neil Randolph '15 did so during his senior year in 2014-15.

News and Notes

• Elmira scored a season-high 98 points in its third game of the season with 90-or-more.
• EC tied a season-high with 36 successful field goals.
• Porrett increased his career total to 1,002 points, becoming the 17th member of Elmira's 1,000-point club.
• Backus tied a single-game season high with 22 points in just 23 minutes against the Hawks.
• Every tied a season-high with 17 points in 14 minutes of playing time off of the bench.
• McCreery reached double-digit points for the third time in 2018-19.
• Nurse tied career bests in points (12) and rebounds (7).
• Senior Alex Rosen '19 made his season debut with one rebound and one assist off of the bench.

Up Next
Elmira's Empire 8 contest at Utica College on Saturday, January 19, has been postponed due to the impending weather from Winter Storm Harper. A make-up date against the Pioneers will be announced when available. EC's next scheduled game is on Tuesday, January 22, at Houghton College at 7:30 p.m.