HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Elmira College Men's Basketball team dropped its Friday evening matchup to the Highlanders from Houghton, 68-64. After trailing by six at the break, the Soaring Eagles made a final push in the second half, outscoring Houghton 33-31 in the second half but came up just short. 

Bryan Adams '25 paced Elmira with 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Kyle Kokoskie '22 finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. 

JUST THE BASICS:
Location: Houghton, New York | Nielsen Center
Score: Elmira: 64, Houghton: 68
Records: Elmira: (5-14, 3-7 Empire 8), Houghton (2-17, 2-8 Empire 8) 
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Elmira held the lead after Kokoskie scored the opening bucket from long range before Houghton tied the game and never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the half. 

Adams scored 13 of his 22 points in the first half while the Soaring Eagles as a team were able to shoot just 37.5% for the half. Houghton was able to convert on 15-of-31 (48.4%) from the floor, with Jajuan Preaster tying Adams for the lead in scoring with 13 of his own. 

In the second half, Houghton was able to extend its lead to as many as 10 points, before Elmira used an 11-0 run to regain the lead at 59-58 with 3:30 remaining. After Houghton retook the lead, Rashaad Nurse '22 made a jumper in the paint to pull Elmira within one point before the Highlanders converted on a free throw and made layup to close out the game with a four-point victory. 

For the game, the Soaring Eagles shot 38.4% from the floor (24-of-62) while the Highlanders made 29 of its 61 shots for a game percentage of 47.5%. Elmira won the battle in points off turnovers (21-18), while Houghton was able to outscore Elmira 29-to-10 from the bench.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles return home tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Pioneers from Utica College. Tip is set for 4:00 PM inside Speidel Gymnasium.