Score: Elmira College 76 – Alfred University 72
Records: Elmira (3-14, 1-7 Empire 8), Alfred (7-9, 3-4 Empire 8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
 

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's basketball team picked up its first Empire 8 Conference win of the season on Thursday evening, besting Alfred University 76-72 in front of a raucous crowd at Speidel Gymnasium. Justin Porrett '19 led the way for the Soaring Eagles, netting a career-high 21 points to go along with seven boards.

The first half of the conference slate has been a string of close calls and near misses; however, EC was intent on getting a fresh start at home at the exact midway point of conference play. The Soaring Eagles came out with a scalding hot shooting stroke from distance in the first half. Justin Henderson '16 knocked down triples on back-to-back possessions to help Elmira to an early 9-2 lead out of the gates.

The Saxons rallied to close the deficit to a single point with 12:05 left in the half; however, the Soaring Eagles responded in emphatic fashion with a 13-0 run over the next 3:07 to raise the decibel levels to a fever pitch inside Speidel. Porrett led the charge with seven points during the surge, while Hayden Harkins '18 bookended the run with a triple to make the score 27-13 with 8:58 to go in the opening half.

On the strength of 7-of-15 shooting from distance, the Soaring Eagles were able to keep the Saxons at arm's length for the rest of half. EC took a 35-26 lead into the break.

The teams traded buckets over the first five minutes to begin the second half, before the Saxons began to chip away at Elmira's three possession lead. A 10-3 Alfred run pulled the visitors within two just shy of the halfway mark in the second session. Three minutes later the Saxons closed the deficit to a single point, after Nigel Herbert sank a pair of free throws with 8:11 left.

However, each time Alfred rallied, Elmira had an answer. Gino Leonardi '16 and Porrett nailed triples on back-to-back possessions to widen the gap. The sequence looked to maybe propel the Soaring Eagles to a rout, as the home side opened the gap back to as large as 12 points with under five minutes remaining.

Once again Alfred would not quit, as the Saxons would put together a 9-0 run to again close the deficit to a single point with 2:31 to play.

Free-throw shooting proved to be the difference down the stretch. EC went 22-of-26 from the charity stripe in the second half, while Alfred went just 7-of-18 from the line. The Soaring Eagles knocked down their last eight free throws, with Henderson drilling the final four to ice the victory with three seconds remaining. 

In His Own Words…
Head Coach Randie Torgalski on his team's performance…
"It was a great team effort tonight. We got contributions from everyone. The bench energy was terrific and really pushed us through to the end."
 
Coach Torgalski on how the win will boost the team's confidence…
"Winning cures everything. I think we saw tonight that we do have answers. We have guys who can make winning plays. We consistently made those plays, not just during crunch time, but throughout the entire game. I think we will continue to do that moving forward."
 
Coach Torgalski on how the crowd's energy boosted the team…
"The crowd was terrific. Our gym can be smothering to an opponent. Obviously, we have to give them something to cheer about. Our guys showed up tonight and the crowd certainly showed up for us. We needed them tonight."
 
Turning Point
Tonight's exciting contest could not be boiled down to a single play, but rather two distinct themes. Elmira's three-point shooting boosted the team in the first half, as the Soaring Eagles capitalized 7-of-15 compared to Alfred's 0-for-7 clip. The second half came down to the charity stripe, as EC was lights out going 22-of-26 compared to the Saxons 7-of-18 mark.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Both teams were nearly identical in their efficiency from the field, with Elmira at 42.9-percent and Alfred at 42.0-percent.
• Elmira had a good night from distance, making 10-of-24 shots (41.7%).
• Alfred struggled from three-point range, making just 3-of-16 attempts (18.8%).
• The Soaring Eagles had one of their better nights from the stripe, making 24-of-29 shots (82.8%).
• The Saxons did not fare well from the free-throw line, knocking down 11-of-30 shots (36.7%).
• Alfred did most of its damage inside, as the Saxons scored 50 of their 72 points in the paint.
• The Saxons won the battle of the boards, 40-to-37.
• Three EC players finished with double figures.
• Porrett led Elmira with a team-high 21 points and also tied for the team-lead in rebounds with seven.
• Leonardi also tied for the team-lead in rebounds with seven, while also pouring in 18 points.
• Henderson added 17 points, 12 coming from beyond the arc, while he also pulled in six boards.
• Davis had a noteworthy night, scoring six points off the bench, with four of those coming from the charity stripe.

 
News and Notes

• Tonight's outcome marks Elmira's first home and conference victory of the season.
• Elmira has eight games this season with 10 or more makes from three-point range.
• Elmira's 24 makes from the foul line is a season high, as was the team's 29 attempts.
• EC's 29 defensive boards ties its season high.
• As a team, Elmira rejected six shots, which was a season high.
• Porrett's 21 points set a new career high for the rookie guard.
• Leonardi has scored 10 or more in six straight games and is averaging 16.2 points over that stretch.
• Henderson has five games this season with four or more makes from three-point range.

 
Up Next
Elmira will enjoy a six-day layoff, as the Soaring Eagles' next game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27^th, when the Purple and Gold take on Ithaca College. The opening tip is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Elmira's Speidel Gymnasium.