UTICA, N.Y. -- Rashaad Nurse '22 and Shawn Backus '21 led all scorers with a combined 37 points on Friday night, but the two forwards were unable to lead the Elmira College men's basketball team to victory, as the Soaring Eagles fell to Utica College, 83-64.

Nurse, who netted double-digit points for the second game in a row, produced a game- and career-high 19 points. That wasn't all the sophomore from Queens, New York, did, as he also hauled in 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Soaring Eagle. From Backus, Elmira (1-11, 0-2 E8) received a season-high-tying 18 points, including a pair of 3-point field goals and a respectable 6-of-8 showing at the foul line.

Alas, the Pioneers (11-2, 2-0 E8) saw five players record 10-or-more points and were one point shy of having six reach the double-digit plateau. Second-year guard Darius Hopkins led the way for Utica with 17 points, while the Pioneers outpaced EC in terms of shooting percentage, 51.7%-to-33.3%.

Elmira kept pace with the hosts from Utica for most of the first half. Down by five early, Backus made up the deficit himself to even the score at 9-all approximately three-and-a-half minutes into the contest. A few minutes later, Kyle Kokoskie '22 forced a turnover that led to a David Kruis '23 3-pointer on the other end of the floor, a shot that turned a two-point hole into a 14-13 advantage for EC.

Midway through the half, Nurse put together a 5-0 run of his own with the Purple and Gold down by six. His successful and-one conversion brought Elmira back within one point of the Utica lead, 22-21. However, clinging to a one-point lead a few moments later, this time at 24-23, the Pioneers tallied eight unanswered points. By the break, they pushed the lead to 11, 45-34, and only once in the second half would EC bring the deficit back to single digits.

News and Notes

• Nurse set single-game career-highs with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first-ever double-double.
• Nurse, who made 8-of-14 field goals against Utica (57.1%), reached double-digit points for the third time in 2019-20.
• Backus logged double figures for the fourth consecutive game and for the ninth time as a junior.
• Backus produced 18 points, a season-high, for the second time in as many games.
• Kruis made a pair of treys for six points, the most by any player who entered off of the bench for EC.
• Kokoskie posted four points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
• In just five minutes on the floor, first-year point guard Harry Ravitz '23 netted five points.

Up Next
Elmira's Empire 8 Conference weekend continues in Albany, New York, as the Soaring Eagles are set for a road bout against The Sages Colleges on Saturday, January 11. Tip-off with the Gators is slated for 2:00 p.m.