AMHERST, Mass. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team was unable to keep pace with the high-powered offense of No. 4-ranked Amherst College on Friday evening, as the Soaring Eagles dropped their opening game of the Ken Wright Invitational to the host Mammoths, 89-33.

Elmira (0-3) was unable to slow down a three-point barrage from Amherst (2-0), as the home side shot a blistering 43.7% from deep (7-for-16). Garret Day led the charge for a Mammoths squad that reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last season with 16 points on 6-of-9 (66.7%) shooting from the floor. For EC, sophomore Rashaad Nurse '22 posted a season nine points and four rebounds.

The Soaring Eagles stuck close to the Mammoths through the opening minutes of the contest, as junior forward Brendan Hyde '21 scored Elmira's first four points of the game. Amherst responded with a 16-0 run paired with stifling defense to jump out to a 28-6 lead. Nurse brought Amherst's blitz to an end with a strong finish off of a feed from Shawn Backus '21. Elmira was unable to build any momentum, however, as the Mammoths kept raced out to a 42-14 lead with a strong inside-out offensive attack.

The Soaring Eagles attempted to battle back at the start of the second half, as they traded buckets with the Mammoths over the first five minutes, as Nurse and Hyde continued to carry the load. Despite a reinvigorated effort on the offense end, cold shooting continued to plague EC as Amherst continued to find success from beyond the arc. Mason Weir '21 was able to break through with a 3-pointer against Amherst's hounding defense, but it was too little, too late, for the Purple and Gold.

News and Notes

• Elmira tallied a season-high six blocks against the Mammoths.
• EC edges Amherst in second-chance points, 10-to-9.
• Nurse posted a season-best nine points.
• Hyde's six points marked his highest total as a Soaring Eagle.
• Rookie point guard Harry Ravitz '23 made his second start of the year.
• Quintel Clements '22 pulled down a team-best six rebounds.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will close out the Ken Wright Invitational on the campus of Amherst on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Elmira will challenge either Fitchburg State or Thomas College (ME). An updated schedule will be available on athletics.elmira.edu once the information becomes available.