ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Isiah Charles '21 led all scorers with a career-high 15 points, but it wasn't enough for the Elmira College men's basketball team, which fell on Wednesday night to Russell Sage College, 58-54.

Charles was the only player to reach double figures for Elmira (1-5, 1-5 E8). The senior guard from Montebello, New York, shot 6-of-11 from the field (54.5%) and made both tries from 3-point range. He also grabbed one rebound with one assist and one steal. Charles surpassed his previous single-game high of 14 points, a total he amassed last season against St. John Fisher College (February 9, 2020).

As a team, the Soaring Eagles outshot the Gators (2-1, 2-1 E8) in both percentage, 42.1%-to-39.3%, and made field goals, 24-to-22. EC also committed five fewer turnovers. Sage, on the other hand, did the dirty work, as the Gators had a plus-16 advantage in rebounds (43-to-27), blocked more shots (6-to-2), and got to the foul line at nearly thrice the rate of the Soaring Eagles (17-to-6).

The first half of Wednesday's Empire 8 Conference bout was a dizzying back-and-forth battle. The largest lead of the half was a mere four points, which came on the heels of a 7-0 run that vaulted Sage ahead 12-8. Harry Ravitz '23 and Rashaad Nurse '22 regained a 15-14 advantage with four unanswered points two minutes later. With 1:22 to go in the half, Ravitz knocked down a trey to give EC a two-point cushion at 31-29, but Sage's Nathan Mannion managed to even the score before the break with two free throws.

Much of the same occurred in the second half. The score was tied on four different occasions, lastly at 43-43 with 11:34 remaining. Thirty seconds later, the Gators took the lead for good on a well-contested, left-handed shot in the lane by Pierce Trop.

Feeling the pressure, turnovers began piling up on EC in the final seven minutes of regulation. Down 51-49, Elmira committed four turnovers before earning its next points on a Charles free throw near the four-minute mark.

After Charles missed the second half of his two foul shots, Stuart Phair buried a baseline jumper, giving the Gators the largest lead of the night for either team, 57-50. It was enough of a cushion to close the contest, despite two consecutive buckets from Charles and Quintel Clements '22 that made it a one-possession difference with two minutes on the clock.

Alas, Elmira missed its final three shots from the field, had another untimely turnover with 66 ticks on the clock, and was unable to add another point to its total for the remainder of the game.

News and Notes

• Elmira recorded a better field-goal percentage than its opponent for the second time in six games this season.
• The EC offense had fewer turnovers for the second game in a row.
• Perhaps the difference in the game was Sage's free-throw opportunities, as the Gators made 13-of-17 shots compared to Elmira's 2-of-6 effort at the line.
• While playing a season-high 32 minutes, Charles scored a career-high 15 points.
• Charles has posted double-digit points in two of the last three games.
• The Soaring Eagles also received eight points from Kyle Kokoskie '22 and Clements, while Backus poured in seven points with a team-leading six rebounds.

Up Next
On Sunday, March 21, the Purple and Gold will make the short trip to Alfred, New York, for an Empire 8 showdown against the Saxons of Alfred University. Tip-off is scheduled for noon.