Score: Elmira College 103, Oswego State 90
Records: Elmira (1-2), Oswego State (0-2)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, N.Y.
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's basketball team used exceptional 3-point shooting to earn a 103-90 victory over the defending State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champion Lakers of Owego State in the consolation game of the EC Tip-Off Tournament at Speidel Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles made 16 treys in today's bout, the most that they have made since the 2015-16 campaign, and earned the program's 500th all-time win. 

The Soaring Eagles were lethal from behind the arc against the Lakers, as they shot 16-for-24 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range. EC also shot very well from the floor, going 32-for-51 (62.7 percent) from the field. On the other side of the court, Oswego ended the day 7-for-20 (35.0 percent) from long range and 33-for-71 from the field (46.5 percent). Elmira was also the more efficient team in the bout, as it recorded assists on 26 of its 32 makes, while the Lakers posted eight assists on their 33 made field goals.  

EC came out at the start of today's game and immediately started to pressure the Lakers. This early attack led to a 12-4 lead for the Soaring Eagles after the first 3:02 of the contest. The run was capped off by a Hayden Harkins '18 trey, one of his three in the half. Elmira's lead grew to as high as 10 points, 20-10, in the first 20 minutes after Isiah Charles '21 earned an and-one opportunity with a drive straight into the Oswego defense.

Despite the early momentum, EC's advantage faded, as the Lakers' shooting started to improve. From the floor, Oswego went 13-for-32 (40.6 percent) in the opening half. Elmira, on the other hand, was 16-for-25 from the floor for a scorching 64.0 percent.

After a few lead changes, the Soaring Eagles found themselves tied, 31-31, with 4:45 remaining in the half. At this point, EC again started to attack, as it finished the period on a 10-3 run to take a seven-point lead, 41-34, into the halftime break. The run was highlighted by a Jesse Adelson '20 trey with just seven seconds remaining.

At the start of the second half, the Soaring Eagles' phenomenal 3-point shooting helped them to start to pull away. EC began the half by making seven treys out of its first eight successful field-goal attempts. Harkins was the catalyst for this 3-point explosion, as he finished the contest with a game-high eight treys for 24 total points. Both Harkins' points total and 3-pointers made tied career highs for the senior.

At the end of the 3-point barrage, Elmira was up 17 points, 73-56, with 11:06 left in the half. The Soaring Eagles' lead grew to as high as 23 points, 86-63, after an Adelson trey at the 6:57 mark. Adelson finished the bout third on the team with 17 points, the second most of his collegiate career.

Despite a late run by the Lakers, who have made three straight NCAA appearances, EC never let its advantage fall below 10 points. The calm demeanor of Justin Porrett '19 helped keep the Purple and Gold composed under pressure. The junior guard scored EC's final nine points, all from the free-throw line. Porrett finished the contest with a career-high 26 points and 10 assists, his first double-double of the season. For Porrett's performance, he was named to the All-Tournament Team of the EC Tip-Off Tournament. Joining Porrett with 10 helpers was Henry Cuffee '19, who ended the day with a double-double on 10 points and 10 assists, the latter of which is a career high. Cuffee has posted a double-double in all three games this season.

In His Own Words…
Head Coach Randie Torgalski shares his thoughts on Elmira's big win over Oswego State…
"Huge win today. Oswego is one of the perennial regional powers. Coach Jason Leone does a great job over there and they are going to win a lot of games this year. Any win at this point of the year is good for us. To do it against Oswego is a huge confidence booster for us. We were really happy with the outcome."

Coach Torgalski talks about the strong performance of his starting five…
"One thing that we have been preaching all season is strength in numbers. We need a lot of guys to contribute to our success. We don't have one go-to guy, we need a few to put the ball in the basket. We need everyone to defend, we need everyone to play. Strength in numbers is how we are going to get things done this year."

Coach Torgalski shares his thoughts on his team's confidence after picking up a win over a quality Oswego team…
"It better mean a lot. We have been preaching to the guys that we can play with anybody. We have enough talent. It comes down to our details, taking care of the ball, getting to the foul line and grabbing boards. The most important detail is our shot selection. We had more details done today than we have the last two games."
 
News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles earned their 500th all-time win. 
• Elmira's victory is the first of its young season.
• EC's 16 3-points are the most that it has tallied in a game since it did so on November 29, 2015, in a 93-88 overtime win over Chatham.  
• The Soaring Eagles have not scored 100 points in back-to-back games since the 1993-94 campaign.
• Elmira has not shot at least 66.7 percent from behind the arc since it went 13-for-19 (68.4 percent) from 3-point range on January 8, 2008, against Alfred University.
• EC improves to 9-5 in the all-time series against the Lakers. 
• Porrett's 26 points today are a career high for the junior.
• Adelson scored 17 points in today's tilt, the second most of his career.
• Harkins tied career-best totals in both points (24) and 3-pointers made (8).
• Harkins now has 191 career 3-pointers, which is tied with John Egan '94 for the fourth most in program history. 
• With 10 points and 10 assists, Cuffee posted his third straight double-double this year.
• Cuffee's 10 assists are a career high.
• The eight points scored by Joseph Amoddio '21 are the first eight of his collegiate career.

 
Up Next
Elmira will return to action on Tuesday, November 21, when the Soaring Eagles head to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for a non-conference bout against the Pennsylvania College of Technology. The bout is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. at the Wildcats' Bardo Gymnasium.