Score: Elmira College 71,  Stevens Institute of Technology 67
Records: Elmira (5-11, 3-4 E8), Stevens (13-7, 6-5 E8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, N.Y.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- In a game that came down to the waning seconds of regulation, the Elmira College men's basketball team avenged an early season loss to the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology, as the Soaring Eagles earned a 71-67 victory in Speidel Gymnasium.

It was a back-and-forth affair on Saturday evening as the lead changed hands on six occasions. Despite the topsy-turvy nature of the contest, the Soaring Eagles seized the lead with nine minutes left on the clock and never looked back as they fended off the Ducks down the stretch to seal the Empire 8 Conference victory.

Buoyed by a stellar 42.3-percent (11-of-26) mark from beyond the 3-point arc, Elmira's offense was led by the trio of Justin Porrett '19, Jesse Adelson '20, and rookie Rashaad Nurse '22. Porrett finished with a game-high 17 points, while Adelson and Nurse finished with 12 and 13 points, respectively. Nurse also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.  Stevens was led by Alec DiPietrantonio, who posted 15 points. On the less glamorous end of the floor, Elmira's aggressive brand of defense wreaked havoc on the Ducks, as EC held Stevens to a paltry 20-percent (3-of-15) from deep.

After slipping behind 13-7 in the opening half, Elmira's offense erupted with a 15-0 run that spanned nearly three minutes to take a 22-13 advantage. A pair of treys from Kyle McCreery '20 highlighted the early barrage.  Despite the lead, Stevens was able to chip away as time wound down, as the Ducks scored the final five points of the half to take a slim 28-27 edge into the break.

Stevens tallied the first four points of the second half, but a make from downtown by Adelson halted the Ducks run. Elmira kept pace with the Ducks, but the visitors re-energized offense opened up a 41-35 lead six minutes into the half. However, EC was not going to be denied on its home court. Nurse and Adelson combined for seven straight points to push the Soaring Eagles ahead, 42-41. The back-and-forth continued from there, but Porrett finished a tough bucket in the paint to put Elmira up for good at 48-46. Elmira kept Stevens at bay with a barrage of three's from Adelson and Shawn Backus '21. Nurse put the game out of reach for good with a strong take to the rim with two seconds remaining on the clock to end any notion of a comeback by the Ducks.
 
In his own words…
Head coach Randie Torgalski on the team's resilient performance against Stevens…
"The guys showed a lot of resiliency tonight. After letting a game get away from us last night, we were able to get the team refreshed this morning. Despite Stevens getting a bit of a lead in the second half, we never gave up. We showed some guts in the second half tonight and it was a true team effort today. Everybody did something to help us win and I'm really pleased with the whole group."

Torgalski on the strong play of his freshman class…
"Rashaad has been performing since day one. He's been working hard and shows a lot of potential. He gives us an attitude on the court that we need. The guys feed off him and his energy and even though he's a freshman, he doesn't act like it. It's nice that he's starting to step forward like this."
"Kyle really played a lot of key minutes the second half while Quintel Clements '22 and Matt Amoddio '22 played major minutes for us again tonight. All of our freshmen have been giving us great effort on the court."

Torgalski spoke about the importance of this conference victory moving forward…
"This win gives us a shot in the arm. We have the challenge of the season on Tuesday against Nazareth and it's always tough to go up to Rochester and play them at home. We're hoping tonight's win gets us going and is the start of something good in conference."

News and Notes

• The rebound battle was dead-even at 34-34.
• Elmira forced Stevens into 20 turnovers, which the Soaring Eagles turned into to 31 points.
• EC went 12-for-14 (85.7%) from the free-throw line in the second half.
• Elmira has now scored over 70 points in 12 games this season.
• Nurse earned his third start of the season and scored in double figures for the second-straight game.
• Porrett finished with a game-high 19 points, bringing his career total to 1,052.
• Kyle Kokoskie '22 dished out a team-best four assists.
• McCreery registered six points for the second consecutive contest.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles are back in action on Tuesday, January 29, when they trek to the Flower City to challenge Nazareth College in Empire 8 action. Tip-off against the Golden Flyers is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.