Score: Utica College 75, Elmira College 70
Records: Elmira (7-18, 5-11 E8), Utica (14-11, 8-8 E8)
Location: Harold T. Clark Athletic Center -- Utica, N.Y.
UTICA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team concluded the 2018-19 regular season on the short end of a 75-70 decision against the Utica College Pioneers on Tuesday night at the Harold T. Clark Athletic Center in Utica, New York.
The Soaring Eagles finished the season 7-18 overall record with a 5-11 record against Empire 8 Conference opponents. Both win totals are the most for EC since 2014-15.
Henry Cuffee '19, playing in the final game of his collegiate career alongside fellow seniors
Alex Rosen '19,
Anthony Abate '19 and
Justin Porrett '19, shot 9-of-17 from the field and led all Soaring Eagles with 22 points. Second-year forward
Shawn Backus '21 and junior guard
Jeremy Every '20 also scored in double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Cuffee, who scored 12 of his team-high 22 points in the second half, helped the Purple and Gold overcome a 35-34 halftime deficit in the final 20 minutes. He recorded the first four points of the half to put Elmira head 38-35. Inside the 15-minute mark, the Bel Air, Maryland, native and
Quintel Clements '22 drained back-to-back shots to extend the advantage to seven points, 47-39.
EC twice led by eight points in the second. Abate collected an offensive rebound and scored a pair of second-chance points with a put-back that had the Soaring Eagles up 54-46 with 11:20 to play. Less than 30 seconds later, he deposited two more points on Elmira's next possession, and the Soaring Eagles led 56-48.
Down 60-53 with approximately nine minutes remaining, the Pioneers went on an 11-0 run that swung momentum in their favor late. Tyler Jollie connected for a 3-pointer that put Utica up by one, 61-60, but Every came up empty on a pair of foul shots and a 3-point attempt of his own on Elmira's next two possessions. With 4:48 to play, the Pioneers pushed their lead to 64-60, as Darius Hopkins successfully converted an and-one.
The Soaring Eagles managed to level the score at 64-all and Backus hit a trey that put Elmira on top again, 67-64. However, the Pioneers' defense limited EC to just three free throw makes across the final three minutes of regulation. Every made the first of his two tries at the line with a minute to play, tying the game at 70-all, but a lane violation cost him his second attempt. From there, UC's Avery Coston Kobe Lufkin, and Hopkins combined to make 5-of-6 foul shots to put the game out of Elmira's reach.
News and Notes
- Elmira's seven overall wins and five conference wins this season are the most since 2014-15.
- Cuffee ended his career with two of his highest-scoring games of the season, following up a 24-point performance in Saturday's win over Nazareth College with 22 against Utica.
- Cuffee surpassed 900 career points on Tuesday night and will graduate with 910 in his four years as a Soaring Eagle.
- Abate was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for a with a single-game season-high eight points.
- Porrett, Elmira's all-time leader in assists, finished his career with a whopping 598 assists.
- Rosen made his fifth start and set a new career-high with 13 appearances as a senior.
- Backus scored double-digit points in 16 of 24 games as a sophomore.
- Every scored double-digit points in back-to-back games to end the season.
