Score: Elmira College 93 – Chatham University 88 (OT)
Records: Elmira (1-4), Chatham (0-5)
Location: Skibo Gymnasium – Pittsburgh, PA
 
Pittsburgh, PA -- The Elmira College men's basketball got in the win column for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon, outlasting upstart Chatham University 93-88 in overtime in the third-place game of the Carnegie Mellon Double Tree Tournament.
 
A day after the offense struggled to establish a rhythm, posting a season low 53 points in the loss to the tournament hosts, the Soaring Eagles bounced back in emphatic fashion. EC poured in a season-high 93 points, going 31-for-60 (51.7%) from the field, including a scintillating 16-of-32 from beyond the arc.
 
Gino Leonardi '16 paced Elmira with 28 points (10-of-19 FG, 3-of-5 3PT, 5-of-8 FT), while Hayden Harkins '18 was the hero for the Soaring Eagles in the extra session. He chipped in six of his 24 total points in overtime, draining a pair of clutch three-pointers, which proved to be the difference in the five-point victory. His triple with 1:31 remaining put Elmira ahead for good, helping the squad avoid a crushing collapse.
 
In stark contrast to yesterday, Elmira got off to rocket start out of the gates on Sunday. Trading buckets through the first media timeout, Elmira strung together a 21-6 run midway through the opening half to grab control of a 16-point lead with just under eight and a half minutes to play. Although the Cougars would claw away at the deficit over the waning moments, Leonardi would send in a layup just before the end of the half to put Elmira up 11 at the break. It was the best offensive half for Elmira this season, as the team posted 49 points and went 17-of-28 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
 
It would be a tale of two halves, as Chatham would rally in the final 20 minutes, as Elmira's hot hand from the first half began to cool. The Cougars whittled away the deficit to within one possession early in the half and remained within one possession until the waning moments. Alex Schoppen  hit a clutch three-pointer with three seconds remaining to send the game for the extra session.
 
Turning Point
Chatham took its first lead since the opening minute of the game during the overtime session, while a three-pointer from Logan Hunter stretched the advantage to four with just over half of the extra session remaining. Elmira showed great resiliency to claw back and Harkins three-pointer with 1:31 remaining gave the Soaring Eagles the lead for good.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outshot Chatham 51.7% (31-of-60) to 46.4% (32-of-69) for the contest.
• It was a monster first half for Elmira, as the Soaring Eagles went 17-of-28 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
• Both teams were excellent from distance; Chatham went 12-of-29 from three-point range, while Elmira finished 16-of-32 from beyond the arc.
• Elmira notched an assist on 21 of its 31 field goals in the contest.
• Leonardi finished with 28 points to lead all scorers, with 22 of those coming in the opening half.
• Harkins was fantastic from distance, draining 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.
• Justin Porrett '19 led the Soaring Eagles with eight rebounds, while chipping in a modest five points and four assists.
• Elmira was much more prudent with the basketball in today's contest, finishing with only 13 turnovers.

 
News and Notes

• The victory gives Elmira its first of the season.
• Elmira's 93 points are the most since also scoring 93 in a 95-93 overtime loss to Nazareth College on February 7^th of last season.
• The last time Elmira shot 60% in half came in an 89-68 victory over Houghton college during the 2013-14 season.
• Leonardi's 28 points was a single game career-high.
• Harkins' eight three-point field goals was a single game career-high.

 
Up Next
The Elmira men will return to action on Friday, December 4^th, when they welcome St. Lawrence University for a 7:00 p.m. opening tip at Speidel Gymansium.