ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team wrapped up the 2019 EC Tip-Off Tournament with an 86-56 loss to former Empire 8 Conference and Route 13 rival Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon at Speidel Gymnasium.

Thirteen different players scored at least one point for the Soaring Eagles (0-2). In his first collegiate game, Haven Smith '23 paced the team with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Shawn Backus '21 added nine points with six rebounds, while both Mason Weir '21 and Rashaad Nurse '22 poured in six points.

The Bombers (1-1), who outshoot EC 45.7%-to-32.4%, simply could not miss from 3-point range to start the tournament's consolation contest. Ithaca drained its first five treys and netted 30 of its first 32 points from beyond the arc. The red-hot shooting performance quickly gave the visitors a lead they would never relinquish, and Ithaca led by as many as 22 points in the first half.

The Purple and Gold tried to keep up with the Bombers with a barrage of shots from downtown but were unable to replicate their success. Down 24-7, Harry Ravitz '23, Weir, and Backus combined to score EC's next 12 points with long-range snipes, with the latter of those attempts reducing Ithaca's lead to 34-19 with 8:15 remaining in the half.

Up 13 at the break, the Bombers lived up to their moniker by scoring their first six points of the second half on back-to-back treys, all but securing their lead would remain intact for the rest of regulation.

News and Notes

• Elmira outrebounded its opponent for a second consecutive game, as the Soaring Eagles held a 44-43 edge on the glass.
• Smith reached double figures in his debut with a 10-point showing.
• Freshmen David Kruis '23, Dyrese Brown '23, Jeff Jung Jr. '23, and Aric Westbrook '23 also made their collegiate debuts off of the bench.
• Kruis and Brown each made their first career field goals, with Kruis' bucket coming from 3-point range.

Up Next
Elmira travels to Amherst, Massachusetts, next weekend to participate in the Ken Wright Invitational, hosted by Amherst College. The Soaring Eagles and Mammoths will square off in the opening round on Friday, November 22, at 6:00 p.m.