Score: St. John Fisher College 102, Elmira College 75
Records: Elmira (6-17, 4-10 E8), St. John Fisher (16-7, 11-3 E8)
Location: Bobby Wanzer Court -- Rochester, N.Y.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team was downed 102-75 on Friday night by the host Cardinals of St. John Fisher College on the Bobby Wanzer Court inside the Manning and Napier Varsity Gym in Rochester, New York.

The Soaring Eagles shot 39.7 percent (27-of-68) overall and 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from 3-point range against the Cardinals, who are battling for a top-three seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament. Fisher, on the other hand, had nearly identical shooting percentages in each half, finishing with a rate of 60.3 (41-of-68) on the night.

Of the four Soaring Eagles to score in double figures, second-year forward Shawn Backus '21 paced the team with 15 points, 13 of which came in the opening half. Backus also made 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc. Jesse Adelson '20 was second among the Purple and Gold with 13 points, followed by 11 from Justin Porrett '19 and 10 from Henry Cuffee '19.

Backus had the hot hand on the court to start Friday night's contest, as the Hamden, Connecticut, native was responsible for 11 of Elmira's first 13 points. His first nine points all came from beyond the 3-point arc, and he gave the Soaring Eagles a brief 6-5 lead with his second try at the 17:40 mark. His third 3-point field goal came a mere 37 seconds later and had EC within two points of the Cardinals, 13-11.

Elmira remained within striking distance following a steal-and-score by Cuffee, which kept the Soaring Eagles within two possessions of the Cardinals, 21-17. However, St. John Fisher used a 13-2 run to pull ahead for good. During that span, EC made just 1-of-9 field goal attempts. Although the Soaring Eagles pieced together a small 7-0 run of their own to reduce the disadvantage down to single digits, 34-26, the Cardinals carried a 51-36 lead into the locker room at the break.

Porrett, who handed out seven of his team-high nine assists in the first half, found his scoring touch in the second. He led all players with 11 points in the final 20 minutes of action, including a perfect 4-for-4 showing from the line. However, Fisher kicked off the second stanza with six unanswered points and never looked back en route to the Empire 8 win.

News and Notes

• Backus has reached double-digit points 17 times this season.
• With 11 points and nine assists, Porrett was just one dime shy of a double-double.
• In addition to his 13 points, Adelson led EC with seven rebounds.
• Porrett (4-for-4), Joseph Amoddio '20 (2-for-2), and Rashaad Nurse '22 (1-for-1) each finished with a 100.0 free-throw percentage in the game.
• Cuffee netted double-digit points for the 13th time as a senior.
• Nico Bossero '22 made his first collegiate 3-pointer and collected a season-high two rebounds.

Up Next
The penultimate game of the 2018-19 campaign will take place on Saturday, February 16, inside Speidel Gymnasium, as the Soaring Eagles host Nazareth College in the home finale. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., and before the game, Elmira will honor its graduating seniors with a special Class of 2019 Recognition Day ceremony.