ALBANY, N.Y. – The Elmira College men's basketball team picked up a 72-71 victory on Saturday over the hosts from Russell Sage College inside of the Campus Center. After a back-and-forth game, the ending would be no different as the Soaring Eagles had its nine-point lead in the final minute erased before converting on a free throw to send the Purple & Gold home with a 72-71 victory.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 72, Russell Sage 71
LOCATION: Albany, New York | Campus Center
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (5-16, 4-10 Empire 8), Russell Sage (3-17, 1-12 Empire 8)

The game would start slowly, with Elmira holding the slim 4-2 lead just over four minutes into the contest before a stepback jumper from Tyler Cardello '26 pushed the Elmira lead to four. The offense would pick up from there, with Elmira taking an 11-8 lead just minutes later on a made bucket from Quintel Clements '22.

After missing his first, Riley Spencer '26 would take the EC lead to six at the 10:45 mark before Gators guard Noah Girard answered back on the next possession with a three-ball of his own. Spencer would go on to score eight consecutive points for the Soaring Eagles who extended its lead to 19-11 with 9:37 remaining in the half which included a pair of threes. 

A run from the Gators over the next four minutes allowed the hosts to erase the Elmira lead (21-21). Despite, over the final five minutes of play in the half, the Soaring Eagles would return the favor and carry a five-point lead into the break. 

Out of the break, Clements would score on the first Soaring Eagle possession which extended the lead to seven. From there, the Gators would score each of the next eight points to regain the lead at one, before back-and-forth play ensued. Elmira would stand tall once again to erase the deficit and gain its largest lead of the contest with 6:06 remaining, 57-47. 

Leading by nine with under a minute to go, the Soaring Eagles would allow a quick but from the Gators, followed by a turnover leading to a bucket which trimmed the EC lead to four with 34.9 seconds remaining. After Dylan Jacob '24 missed the latter of a pair of free throws, the Gators would go down and earn an and-one opportunity with 26.8 seconds, trimming the EC lead to two. 

The Gators would eventually tie the game on a made three with just over ten seconds remaining before Clements was able to draw the foul with seven seconds remaining where he would convert on 1-of-2. From there, the Gators would go down and get a last second shot up, but Elmira would prevail to pick up the 72-71 victory after the miss. 

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles will return to the court on Tuesday when traveling to visit the Highlanders of Houghton University. Tip is set for 7:30 PM. 

STATISTICS FOR TODAYS GAME WILL BE MADE PUBLIC ONCE AVAILABLE