ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College Men's Basketball battled to pick up a huge Empire 8 conference win over the visiting Gators from Sage College on Friday evening, 64-55. After trailing by a bucket at the break and as much as nine in the second half, the Soaring Eagles would outscore the opposition 34-18 over the final 12:56 of play on its way to its first E8 victory of the season. 

Marc Anthony Artuz '24 provided excellent minutes off the bench for head coach Casey McGraw, going perfect from the floor (3-of-3 FG, 2-of-2 3PT, and 2-of-2 FT) for 12 points and five rebounds in just eight minutes of play. 

Bryan Adams '25 paced all EC scorers with 15 points and five steals, while Dylan Jacob '24 poured in ten points, including a pair of three-pointers. 

Despite outshooting the Gators in the opening half, Elmira trailed by a pair at the break before then being outshot by Sage in the second half, despite Elmira outscoring the Gators 39-28. Elmira's clean play which included a season-low 11 turnovers helped EC, as Sage was able to muster up just 14 points off turnovers compared to 23 for the Soaring Eagles. 

In a game in which the Soaring Eagles converted a season-low 20 shots from the field, its free throw percentage of 84.2% (16-of-19) was able to help them down the stretch as the Gators were forced to foul in the final minutes of play. 

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 64, Sage 55
LOCATION: Elmira, New York | Speidel Gymnasium
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (2-9, 1-3 Empire 8), Russell Sage (2-8, 0-3 Empire 8)

ELMIRA LEADERS (20-of-52, 38.5% from the floor)
Bryan Adams - 15 points, 5 steals, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Marc Anthony Artuz - 12 points, 5 rebounds
Dylan Jacob - 10 points, 2 rebounds
Quintel Clements - 7 points, 4 rebounds

SAGE LEADERS (22-of-61, 36.1% from the floor)
Noah Girard - 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Todd Williamson - 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles return to the court tomorrow afternoon when hosting the Hawks from Hartwick College in another Empire 8 matchup inside of Speidel Gymnasium. Tip is set for 4:00 PM.