Score: Utica College 82, Elmira College 71
Records: Elmira (6-15, 4-8 E8), Utica (12-9, 6-6 E8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium -- Elmira, N.Y.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- A lackluster second half cost the Elmira College men's basketball team Friday night's Empire 8 Conference matchup with Utica College inside Speidel Gymnasium, as the Pioneers overcame a nine-point halftime deficit for an 82-71 win over the Soaring Eagles.

Shawn Backus '21 and Justin Porrett '19 led all scorers with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Porrett also added to his league-leading assist total by dishing out eight more against the Pioneers. However, Utica had six players finish in double figures and outshot EC in terms of field-goal percentage, 60.9-to-37.0. 

Elmira looked energized in the opening half, using several early 3-pointers to pull ahead. Porrett broke a 4-4 tie with a trey, before Jesse Adelson '20 and Porrett nailed 3-point shots on back-to-back Elmira possessions to extend the lead to 15-8 inside the 16-minute mark. Utica managed to level the score again at 17-all, but Jeremy Every '20 converted from beyond the arc to put EC up once again.

Backus ended the first half on a hot streak of his own, putting the Soaring Eagles in front at the halftime break. With the game tied at 26-26, Elmira closed the period with nine unanswered points, seven of which came off of the hands of the Hamden, Connecticut, native. His final three points of the half were netted on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the right corner, which sent the team into the locker room in high spirits.

Utica seized momentum soon after the start of the second half, thanks to early foul trouble. Frustration translated into cold shooting on the offensive end, as the Soaring Eagles missed their first 13 attempts from 3-point range and finished a mere 1-for-14 in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Making matters worse, the Pioneers were red-shot in the half, sinking 6-of-7 shots from deep (85.7 percent) and 17-of-24 overall (70.8 percent).

Across a four-and-a-half minute drought, the Soaring Eagles saw a 37-29 advantage turn into a six-point hole at 43-37. The Utica defense then held EC to just two points over the following 3:15, widening the gap to double-digits for the remainder of the night.

News and Notes

• Elmira fell to 6-15 overall and 4-8 within the Empire 8.
• For the fifth time this season, the Soaring Eagles won the rebound battle, finishing with a plus-seven margin against Utica.
• More than half of EC's rebounds came on the offensive end, and the team turned 22 offensive boards into 27 second-chance points.
• Porrett extended his streak of consecutive games with double-digit points to nine.
• Backus posted double-digit points for the 15th time in 20 appearances as a sophomore.
• Rashaad Nurse '22 picked up a team-high seven rebounds to go along with eight points and a team-best three steals.

Up Next
Elmira travels to Alfred, New York, to face the Saxons of Alfred University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12.