Score: Stevens Institute of Technology 84, Elmira College 83 (OT)
Records: Elmira (2-8, 0-1 E8), Stevens (9-2, 2-0 E8)
Location: Canavan Arena -- Hoboken, N.J.

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- The host Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology pulled off a miraculous buzzer-beating play at the end of overtime to avoid an upset loss to the Elmira College men's basketball team on their home court, defeating the Soaring Eagles 84-83 on Friday night in Hoboken, New Jersey.

In what turned out to be a suspenseful, emotionally-charged and physical battle between the two E8 rivals inside Canavan Arena, the Purple and Gold saw several opportunities to secure a win slip away in critical moments.

Head Coach Randie Torgalski called a timeout at the end of regulation to set up a potential game-winning play with the score knotted at 75-all. After running the clock down to the final seconds, third-year guard Jesse Adelson '20 missed the target on a deep 3-point field goal from the right side of the arc.

Despite the miss, it looked as though the Soaring Eagles rebounded and were on their way to a monumental victory, as they scored the first five points of the five-minute overtime session. The Ducks coughed the ball up on their first three possessions in the extra period, allowing first-year forward Rashaad Nurse '22 to bury back-to-back field goals, while Mason Weir '21 converted one of two attempts from the foul line to grab an 80-75 lead.

It was success – or lack thereof – at the free-throw line that turned the tides on both Elmira and Stevens in overtime. Weir's miss on the backend of his visit to the stripe was one of a combined nine by the feathered foes in the final five minutes. Kevin Florio finished an and-one attempt for the Ducks with a rare make, an important point that trimmed the deficit to 83-82. With the score the same on Stevens' next possession, Ryan Coffey went to the line with a chance to at least tie the score, if not give his team the lead with 8.3 ticks left on the clock. Coffey, however, clanked both attempts off of the rim.

Having been fouled immediately after collecting the rebound, Justin Porrett '19 had a chance to seal the win on the opposite end of the floor. He, too, came up empty on both tries, and after crossing the half-court line, Stevens head coach Bobby Hurley took a timeout to draw up an improbable play with a mere 1.4 seconds to go.

The inbounds pass was sailed from the left side of the court to the Ducks' 6-foot-7-inch forward, Alec DiPietrantonio, on the right side of the rim. Before the final buzzer sounded, DiPietrantonio banked the ball off the glass for the unlikely buzzer-beating basket.

Lost in the chaos that was an exhilarating and heart-breaking 45 minutes of basketball was a major milestone for Porrett. In a homecoming of sorts for the native New Jerseyan, Porrett broke Elmira's all-time record for career assists, as he finished the night with eight for a total of 494 through 83 career games. He surpassed a mark set more than three decades ago by Reggie Rollins '88, who compiled 488 assists from 1984-88.

News and Notes

• Elmira fell to 2-8 overall and 0-1 in Empire 8 Conference play, while the Ducks improved to 9-2 and 2-0.
• Porrett led all scorers with 20 points, in addition to eight assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
• Porrett reached the 20-point plateau for the third time in his senior campaign.
• Porrett, the reigning NCAA Division III leader in assists per game, surpassed Reggie Rollins '88 (488) and now holds EC's all-time record for career assists with 494.
• EC also received double-digit outings from Shawn Backus '21 (14), Henry Cuffee '19 (12) and Nurse (12).
• Nurse, a freshman forward appearing in his seventh game, posted season highs in points (12) and rebounds (7) in 16 minutes off of the bench for the Soaring Eagles.
• Rookie forward Quintel Clements '22 hauled in a team- and season-high 12 rebounds to go along with three assists and two blocked shots.

Up Next
Elmira's weekend continues on the road on Saturday, January 5, as the Soaring Eagles travel to Albany, New York, to take on the Gators of The Sage Colleges. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. at Sage's Kahl Gym.