Clinton, NY -- After erasing a 19-point halftime deficit to force overtime, it took a buzzer-beating, fall-away jumper from Hamilton College's Matt Hart to down the Elmira College men's basketball team, 85-83, at the Margaret Scott Bundy Field House Tuesday night. The loss drops EC to 5-9 overall while the win improves the Continentals to 9-8.

It was a tale of two halves for the Purple and Gold. The first half was dominated by Hamilton as Elmira could not get a shot to fall from the floor, going 7-of-29 in the opening half. The Continentals, on the other hand, shot a blistering 65.6 percent on field goals, including 57 percent from long range. Hamilton opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half, bringing it to 19 on a last second layup.

The second half was a different story as the Soaring Eagles came out of the locker rooms locked in on both sides of the ball. Hamilton would hold 21-point leads three times before EC began to chip away at the lead. Josh Keys '14 bookended a quick 9-3 run with a pair of three-pointers that cut the lead to 15-points. Keys' threes were just the start of a hot-shooting half for the Purple and Gold as the men hit eight of their 13 three point attempts to aid in their comeback.

Elmira brought the game within 10 points on a few occasions, but each time Hamilton had an answer to the Soaring Eagle run. After the Continentals pushed the lead back to 18 points with 9:37 to play, it was Matt Newell '14 and Jake Metcalf '15 that swung the momentum back in EC's favor. Newell hit back-to-back three pointers and Metcalf had four points, as the two combined for a 10-0 run to make it an eight point game with just under six minutes left on the clock.

From there, the Soaring Eagles continued to apply pressure on Hamilton on both ends of the floor, bringing the game to a single possession after Neil Randolph '15 drained a shot from the top of the three-point circle. Brian McDonald '15 tied the game on a layup a minute later, and after an empty possession from the Continentals, EC had a chance to win the game before the end of regulation. Chris Cassidy '14, however, would see his shot fall short of the rim as time expired sending the game into overtime tied at 76 apiece.

The overtime period was a back and forth affair with neither team leading by more than two points. It was a tied game with 31 seconds left on the clock when Hamilton corralled a rebound, giving them the final possession. The Continentals missed a wide-open three-point attempt, but Hart was there with the acrobatic put-back to stun the Purple and Gold at the buzzer.

Randolph led five Soaring Eagles in double-figures with 19 points behind 4-5 shooting from three-point range. Keys got in on the action from deep, adding three more triples to his career total en route to 13 points, while Newell, Cassidy, and McDonald all chipped in 10 apiece. Derrick Vogel '14, despite playing the latter part of the second half and the entire overtime period with 4 fouls, flirted with a triple double as the senior contributed nine points, six rebounds, and six assists without recording a single turnover.

The Purple and Gold must put this heartbreaking defeat behind them as they return to their conference schedule on Friday, January 21st. EC will travel to Pittsford, NY that night for their second matchup this season with St. John Fisher College. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.