ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College Men's Basketball team fell in its home opener and the first day of the Elmira Alumni Classic, dropping its matchup to Bard 92-79. After the game was tied through the half at 41-41, the Raptors would outscore the Soaring Eagles 51-38 in the second half including a 20-of-48 effort from deep during the game on its way to victory.
The Soaring Eagles were led by
Bryan Adams '25 with 17 points, while the freshman duo of
Owen Evans '26 and
Riley Spencer '26 each reached double-digit points.
JUST THE BASICS:
Location: Elmira, New York | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 79, Bard: 92
Records: Elmira: (0-2, 0-0 E8), Bard College (1-0, 0-0 Liberty League)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The teams battled through the first half, with the game going into the break tied at 41-41. Playing against a Bard team who was press-heavy, along with platoon swaps, the Soaring Eagles turned the ball over just eight times.
In the half, Bard was able to take an early seven-point lead following a made three-pointer from Calvin Mader-Clark. The Soaring Eagles would then use a two-minute stretch to erase a six-point deficit as Adams and Spencer were able to find the bottom of the bucket.
The teams would battle back-and-forth once again, with the lead switching hands seven times down the stretch, including four ties. With Bard leading by as many as six points with under five minutes remaining, Elmira would erase the deficit after strong play from beyond the arc and on the boards from Evans, who would finish the period with 11 points.
At the half, the score would be tied at 41-41 despite the Soaring Eagles posting a 13% greater shooting percentage than the Raptors.
In the second, the teams battled through the first six minutes of play as the Soaring Eagles found themselves up a point following a made free throw from
Dylan Jacob '24 at the 14:10 mark. From there, the Soaring Eagles would be held off the scoreboard for the next seven minutes of play in which Bard used a 25-0 run. The deficit would be too much for the Soaring Eagles to overcome, with 11 second-half threes from the Raptors in route to its 92-79 victory.
ELMIRA LEADERS (29-of-64, 45.3 percent from the field)
Bryan Adams - 17 points, 5 rebounds
Riley Spencer - 14 points, 5 rebounds
Owen Evans – 13 points, 4 rebounds
BARD COLLEGE LEADERS (31-of-72, 43.1 percent from the field)
Calvin Mader-Clark – 18 points, 4 rebounds
Elliott Harris – 13 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds
Sean Wilcox – 13 points, 5 rebounds
UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles return to the floor tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 PM when they take on Cazenovia in the second day of the Elmira College Alumni Classic.
