ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira College men's basketball team hosted Hilbert College Saturday afternoon at Speidel Gymnasium. The Soaring Eagles fought hard but fell short down the stretch,  87-76.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
It was an electric start to the game for Elmira, making their first four shots, including two three-pointers from Alec Mercer, to jump out to an early 11-4 lead. A quick timeout two minutes into the game allowed the Hawks to regroup. A driving layup gave the Soaring Eagles a 36-27 lead with five minutes left in the half. However, a late push by the Hawks tied the game at 38 headed into the break.

Emmanuel Karkari-Mensah opened the second half with a layup, followed by Tyler Cardello with a shot from behind the arc to give the Purple & Gold a four-point lead with just over fifteen minutes left. Hilbert went on a late run to take their first lead of the game. Mercer would tie the game at 59 with a three. Another Hilbert run put the Hawks ahead by eight-points, but the Soaring Eagles couldn't close the gap before the final whistle, ultimately falling short 87-76. 

LEADERS
Alec Mercer was the leading scorer for the Soaring Eagles, scoring 18 points while shooting 4-9 from deep. Emmanuel Karkari-Mensah and Kelton Brown each tallied 17 points and 4 assists. 

UP NEXT
The Elmira College Soaring Eagles will travel to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00 PM.