ELMIRA, N.Y. -- An electric start to Monday night's Empire 8 Conference matchup had the Elmira College men's basketball team eyeing an upset, but visiting Utica College spoiled Class of 2021 Recognition Night with a 70-58 win at Pat Thompson '75 Court inside Speidel Gymnasium.

Introduced in a pregame ceremony and the starting lineup were EC's four senior student-athletes: Joseph Amoddio '21, Shawn Backus '21, Isiah Charles '21, and Mason Weir '21. Against Utica (7-2, 7-2 E8), the seniors combined for 16 points, nine assists, nine rebounds, and one steal.

With those four on the court, plus point guard Kyle Kokoskie '22, the Soaring Eagles (1-8, 1-8 E8) shot out of the starting gates like a cannon. Elmira scored the first 11 points of the contest, with three of the four field goals coming from beyond the 3-point arc. Charles bookended the run with a pair of treys, sandwiched around a perfect pick-and-roll finished at the rim by Amoddio and a Backus catch-and-shoot 3-pointer set up by Weir.

Even after the Pioneers settled in and cut the lead down to four points, 22-18, the Soaring Eagles grabbed their largest lead of the night with 12 unanswered points. Following a Rashaad Nurse '22 takeaway and coast-to-coast bucket, Jeff Jung Jr. '23 scored six in a row. Jung's first attempt was a traditional 3-pointer, but he was fouled on his second try from deep and converted all three shots. Those free throws widened the gap to 34-18 in favor of EC with 6:25 left before halftime.

Elmira led at the break, but only by six, 36-30. Utica's shooters began to find their touch after the intermission and quickly wiped out the deficit. Thomas Morreale, Chris Green, and Kobe Lufkin each knocked down a 3-point field goal, fueling an 11-0 run that had the Pioneers ahead 41-36.

The Purple and Gold never regained the lead throughout the remaining 16 minutes of regulation. Harry Ravitz '23 drove hard through the paint and hooked a shot in with his left hand to come within three points at 44-41 at the 12:22 mark. Fouled on yet another 3-point trey, Jung cut the deficit to two possession with three foul shots, bringing the score to 60-54 with 3:34 to play. The Pioneers went on to close the second half with six of their final 10 points coming on free throws as the calls by the officiating crew began to pile up on the Soaring Eagles.

News and Notes

• As a team, Elmira made a season-high-tying six 3-point field goals.
• From the line, EC converted at a season-high 83.3% (10-for-12).
• Off the bench, Nurse and Jung poured in a team highs with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
• Both Nurse and Jung logged single-game season-high point totals.
• Nurse finished 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line.
• Jung made both of his 3-point tries and all six shots from the charity stripe.
• Backus provided eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
• Charles and Quintel Clements '22 each supplied six points, while Clements also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Up Next
The 2021 regular-season wraps up on Thursday, April 1, when the Soaring Eagles visit the Pioneers in Utica, New York. The Empire 8 bout is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.