ELMIRA, N.Y.- The Elmira College men's basketball team hosted Penn College in a non-conference matchup inside Speidel Gymnasium. In a thrilling overtime battle with the Wildcats, the Soaring Eagles came out on top 96-95.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Wildcats opened with a 4-0 run to leave the Soaring Eagles chasing a deficit until a layup and three-point shot from Alec Mercer put EC on the scoreboard and leading by one. A persistent Wildcats offense quickly jumped ahead until Daemon Thomas and JJ Babcock drained three's to even the playing field. The Wildcats went on a 15-0 run with seven minutes remaining in the half, 31-16. Shots in the paint from Amin Ba-Ahmad, Owen Evans, and Kelton Brown chipped away at the Wildcats lead. With an opportunity to score the last points of the half, a clutch three from Evans sent Elmira into the half trailing 39-31.

Brown opened the second half with a shot in the paint paired with a three-point shot to bring Elmira within three points. A fastbreak dunk opportunity for Brown paired with clutch free throw shots even the playing field once again. An and one opportunity for Brown gave Elmira the first lead of the second half, but a three-pointer from the Wildcats quickly saw them recapture the lead. Continuing to trade the lead back-and-forth, both schools continued to capitalize on fouls and free throws to stay in the contest. In the final minutes, the Wildcats held a two-point advantage over the Soaring Eagles. A tip-in layup from Babcock evened the playing field and send the contest into overtime.

In overtime, Elmira was hot out of the gates with a three-point shot from Emman Karkari-Mensah to take the lead. Staying consistent with the theme of the game, both teams were in a back-and-forth tradeoff until the Soaring Eagles were able to take advantage of Wildcat fouls. Elmira was sent to the line eight times during the period, making seven of their shots. Six straight free throws made secured the 96-95 victory for the Soaring Eagles.

LEADERS
Brown led the offensive charge with 28 points, five rebounds, and three steals on the evening. Karkari-Mensah followed closely with 18 points of his own, eight rebounds, and two steals. Babcock recorded a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds to round it out for the Soaring Eagles. 

UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles hit the road to Morristown, NJ to face Saint Elizabeth University tomorrow, December 6. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM.