Score: Elmira College 70 – SUNY Maritime 68
Records: Elmira (1-2), Maritime (1-2)
Location: Max Ziel Gymnasium – Oswego, N.Y.
 
OSWEGO, N.Y. -- This afternoon's consolation game at the Max Ziel Tournament went right down to the wire, as the Elmira College men's basketball team held on for a thrilling 70-68 win over SUNY Maritime for the Soaring Eagles' first win of the 2016-17 campaign.
 
The final score was indicative of the flow of today's game, as the lead changed hands several times throughout the contest, starting as early as the first half.
 
The Privateers built an 11-point lead in the first half, their largest of the game, and would eventually go up 29-20 with 6:53 to play in the opening half. However, Elmira rallied in the closing minutes with a 24-4 run, one that would give the Soaring Eagles a 44-33 halftime lead.
 
Elmira did a good job getting to the foul line in the first half, forcing Maritime to commit 11 personal fouls, resulting in 17 trips to the charity stripe. On those 17 attempts, Elmira knocked down 14.
 
Leading the first-half charge was a quartet of players, Anthony Abate '19, Hayden Harkins '18, Jeremy Every '20 and Kyle McCreery '20, who combined for 36 of EC's 44 first-half points. Abate paced the pack with 10 of his game's 16 points in the opening 20 minutes, with six of his first-half points coming from the free-throw line.
 
Elmira pushed its lead to 12 points in the opening two minutes of the second half, but the Privateers would slow chip away at the Soaring Eagle lead and eventually pull ahead, 55-54, with 6:44 to play. EC answered with back-to-back three-pointers from Abate and McCreery in a 43-second span to reclaim the lead 60-57 with 4:17 to play.
 
From there, the lead changed hands four times but a pair of three-balls from Harkins put Elmira out in front, 67-66, with 1:27 to play. Layups by Matt Davis '17 and Maritime's Patrick MacDonald kept it a one-point game with less than 20 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
With 14 seconds to play, Elmira's Justin Porrett '19 was sent to the free-throw line, but the second-year guard missed the front end of a one-and-one, keeping Maritime's comeback hopes alive. On the ensuing Privateer possession, MacDonald had a look inside the paint to take the lead, but his layup was rejected at the rim by Davis, preserving the Elmira lead with three seconds to play.
 
Porrett would once again go to the free-throw line, this time with just two ticks on the clock. The Dumont, New Jersey, native connected on his first shot, but the second attempt rattled out and into the hands of Maritime's Liam Ryan, who called a timeout with two seconds left in regulation.
 
Following the timeout, Maritime decided to go for the win on a deep three-pointer, as Ryan heaved one up at the buzzer. Thankfully, Ryan's game-winning attempt missed its mark, as the Soaring Eagles marched away with a two-point victory.
 
In His Own Words...
Head Coach Randie Torgalski shares his thoughts on Elmira's play this afternoon…
"We are playing very hard. Energy and enthusiasm are two requirements to be on our team, and we're doing both well. We are learning how to play still."
 
Coach Torgalski talks about getting the first win of the season…
"This week has been a grind. Three tough games and two tough losses before today, but it was great to salvage the week with a win this afternoon."
 
Coach Torgalski reflects on the play of McCreery and Every…
"They are freshmen, they make mistakes, but they are doing a nice job of playing through it and not allowing it to bother other things on floor. Our freshmen gave us great minutes today."
 
Coach Torgalski talks about the importance of EC's free-throw shooting…
"We need to be a free-throw shooting team. We are equipped with guys who should be able to draw fouls and get there a lot. That has to be a strength of ours."
 
"Coach Torgalski reflects on Davis' game-saving block in the closing minutes of regulation…
"Matt's play was perfect example of us learning. He flopped on the previous possession and gave up two points. With the game on the line, he needed to hold his ground and he did that on that play."
 
Turning Point
With just a one-point lead with less than 10 seconds to play, Elmira's defense was put to the test, as the Privateers looked for a game-winning bucket in the paint. EC had trouble stopping Maritime down low, as the Privateers scored 28 of their 35 second-half points in the paint However, Elmira, New York, native Matt Davis made quite possibly the biggest play of his collegiate career by blocking MacDonald's layup attempt in the closing seconds of regulation, which was pivotal in EC's 70-68 win.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira was 20-of-56 (35.7%), while Maritime went 27-for-68 from the field (39.7%).
• Elmira was lethal from three-point range, knocking down 11-of-24 attempts (45.8%).
• Maritime was a dismal 3-for-15 from distance (20.0%).
• Elmira knocked down 17-of-26 free-throw attempts (73.1%).
• Maritime struggled from the charity stripe, making half of its attempts, 11-of-22 (50.0%).
• EC narrowly won the battle of the boards, 45-43.
• Maritime forced 14 Elmira turnovers, while committing just eight of its own.
• Nine of Elmira's turnovers came as a result of Maritime steals.
• 44 of Maritime's 68 points came in the paint.
• Harkins led Elmira with a team-high 18 points, all coming on three-point makes (6-of-14).
• Abate finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
• Every and McCreery chipped in off of the bench with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Davis and Henry Cuffee '19 tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven apiece.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira earned its first win of the 2016-17 season.
• EC took home the consolation trophy at the Max Ziel Tournament.
• Elmira's 11-made three-pointers are a season high.
• The .458-percent shooting from three-point range was also a season high for EC.
• Elmira's 19 makes from the free-throw line are the most since January 21, 2016.
• EC's 45 rebounds are the most the team has grabbed since February 3, 2015.
• Abate's 16 points were a career high.
• Abate has scored double digits in all three of EC's games this season.
• Harkins matched his season-high point total with 18.
• Every and McCreery, both freshmen, combined for 23 points off of the bench.

 
Up Next
Elmira will take a seven-day hiatus until its next contest, a Saturday, November 26th, matchup with Vassar College in the opening round of the Lexington Rochester Airport Hotel Tournament, hosted by the University of Rochester. Saturday's non-league bout is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.