Waynesburg, Pa. – The Elmira College Soaring Eagles men's basketball team competed in day two of the Waynesburg Tip-Off Tournament going head-to-head with Misericordia University. The Soaring Eagles put together a strong second-half effort, scoring 42 points after the break and connecting on 13 three-pointers throughout the contest, but ultimately fell to the Cougars, 85-74.
LEADERS
Offensively,
Gustavo Coutinho led the way for Elmira with 15 points, shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 at the free throw line.
Emmanuel Karkari-Mensah added 11 points, seven rebounds, and a team-high five assists while connecting on three three-pointers.
Ehan Ilyas also finished with 11 points, while
Amin Ba-Ahmad contributed nine points and two steals.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Misericordia opened the scoring with a layup before connecting from beyond the arc to take an early 5-0 advantage.
Dimitris Olympios answered with a layup for the Soaring Eagles, but the Cougars continued to find success offensively, building up an 11-2 lead. Ilyas connected on a three-pointer to get Elmira on the board, while Ba-Ahmad added a layup to bring the deficit back to single digits (11-7). Karkari-Mensah and Ba-Ahmad followed with shots from beyond the arc to bring Elmira within ten, 23-13. The Cougars responded with a scoring run of their own, extending their advantage to 28-13. Ba-Ahmad converted a pair of free throws, while
Mason Fritz and
AJ Graham each connected from beyond the arc (31-21). Ilyas added a layup, and
Gavin White knocked down two free throws before connecting on a late three-pointer. Misericordia continued to find opportunities offensively, leaving EC trailing 47-32 going into halftime.
The Soaring Eagles opened the second half with a three-pointer from Coutinho before Fritz connected from beyond the arc to help Elmira find its rhythm. Ilyas added a layup, while Coutinho continued to attack the basket, converting another layup to keep the Soaring Eagles within striking distance. Karkari-Mensah connected on a three-pointer, and Coutinho added a pair of free throws as Elmira looked to close the gap. Ba-Ahmad followed with a layup, while Graham capitalized on a steal with a fast-break layup to bring the Soaring Eagles within 16 (71-53).
Cole Ivory connected from beyond the arc, while Coutinho continued to contribute at the free throw line. White added another three-pointer before Karkari-Mensah knocked down a three of his own, bringing Elmira within 14 (82-68). Karkari-Mensah converted a pair of free throws, and Ilyas added a late layup to keep the Soaring Eagles within reach. However, Misericordia converted its opportunities down the stretch, to secure the 85-74 victory.
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles travel to Syracuse, NY, on Monday, November 9 for an exhibition matchup against Le Moyne College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.
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