Score: Elmira College 75, Stevens Institute of Technology 70
Records: Elmira (4-15, 2-8 Empire 8), Stevens (8-9, 4-5 Empire 8)
Location: Canavan Arena - Hoboken, NJ

Hoboken, NJ -- The Elmira College men's basketball team used one of its best offensive outings of the season to upset the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology, 75-70, at Canavan Arena Saturday afternoon.

The Soaring Eagles wasted little time silencing the Hoboken faithful, as EC opened the game with nine unanswered points. The Ducks would respond to take their only lead of the game, 25-24, with 6:25 to play in the first half. EC broke a 27-27 tie with a 9-2 run over the next three-plus minutes, and led 41-34 at the break.

It looked like the Soaring Eagles would run away with the game early in the second half, as EC opened the half with a trio of three-pointers, two from Justin Porrett '19 and one from Justin Henderson '16. The lead ballooned to 18 points, EC's largest of the game, at 58-40 with just over 13 minutes to play.

Stevens, however, slowly chipped away at the deficit and came within one, 62-61, with under four minutes remaining.Hayden Harkins '18 swung the momentum back in Elmira's favor with a clutch trey, extending the lead back to four. Gino Leonardi '16 also came up with an important three-point play, as the senior converted an and-one to make it 69-63 EC approximately one minute remaining.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Randie Torgalski on his team's ability to control the glass and finish with a plus-eight rebound margin...
"We had great focus on the box out today, especially in the first half. They got on the boards in the second half a little more, but when you make shots, there are fewer rebounds to gather. That helped us limit their defensive rebound opportunities."

Coach Torgalski on what allowed Stevens to work its way back from an 18-point deficit...
"The second half run was a combination of us not taking care of the ball and us fouling. They made eight free throws during their run to cut the lead to one. We just stayed the course. We kept our heads when we could have lost them."

Coach Torgalski on his team's spirits in the locker room after winning two of their last three games...
"We know we've competed all season and we know we've let games get away from us. But we also know the season is far from over. We're focused on running our own race and playing one game at a time. We will continue to battle and compete until we run out of games to play this season.

Turning Point
Elmira has lived and died by the three all season, and Saturday was more of the same. Elmira halted the Ducks' run with a trey from Harkins, turning a one-point lead into a four-point cushion. Although Leonardi went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, he converted an unconventional three-point play to put the Soaring Eagles ahead 69-63, effectively sealing the game with 1:01 left in regulation.

Inside the Box

• Elmira shot a season-high 53.8-percent from the field (28-for-52).
• Stevens finished with a 40.7 field-goal shooting percentage (24-for-59).
• EC outshot the Ducks from three-point range, converting at a 44.4-percent clip (8-for-18) as compared to a mere 25.0-percent (6-for-24) for Stevens.
• The Soaring Eagles out-rebounded Stevens 37-to-29.
• EC dished out 19 assists, led by Leonardi with six and Porrett with five.
• Porrett and John Mullane '16 paced EC with 17 points apiece.
• Harkins and Henderson also scored double-figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Chris Cosgrove scored a game-high 22 points for Stevens.

News and Notes

• EC improves to 4-15 overall and 2-8 inside the Empire 8 Conference.
• The win is only the second versus Stevens since the Ducks joined the E8.
• Elmira has won two of the last three against Stevens dating back to the 2014-15 series finale.
• Porrett's 17 points mark his 10th double-digit effort of his rookie season.
• Mullane's 17 points are a new career high.
• EC's 53.8 field-goal percentage is the highest for the Purple and Gold since Elmira shot 51.7-percent in the overtime win over Chatham University on November 29, 2015.
• The Soaring Eagles out-rebounded their opponent for only the fourth time this season.
• Stevens' Evan Klimchak and Patrick Barron, who entered Saturday each averaging over 18.0 points per game, were held to a combined 17 points.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to Speidel Gymnasium on Friday, February 5th, for a 6:00 p.m. matchup against Empire 8 foe Utica College.