ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Behind a career night from sophomore Rashaad Nurse '22, the Elmira College men's basketball team earned their first Empire 8 Conference victory of the season on Tuesday evening, as the Soaring Eagles dispatched The Sage Colleges by a final score of 74-68 in Speidel Gymnasium.

Nurse paved the way for the Purple and Gold (2-17, 1-7 E8) against the Gators (10-9, 3-5 E8). The Queens, New York, native poured in a career-high 23 points and pulled down a career-best 14 boards to register his third double-double of the season. Elmira's offense as a whole was clicking against Sage, as the Soaring Eagles knocked down 43.4% (23-of-53) of their shots from the floor. Defensively, EC chased Sage away from the 3-point arc, as the Gators only knocked down six of their 21 (28.6%) attempts from deep.

The Soaring Eagles got off to a flying start on Tuesday evening with a 16-to-3 run that spanned the first six minutes of the contest. Shawn Backus '21 shouldered the load for the Soaring Eagles during the stretch with 12 of his 22 points. Nurse added a pair of baskets in the paint to round out the scoring barrage.

Despite the early lead, the Gators managed to regroup and stunned the Soaring Eagles with a massive counter punch. With the score at 18-5, Sage embarked on a 24-to-2 run that pushed the visitors ahead, 29-20. Mason Weir '21 bought the Soaring Eagles a brief respite with a 3-pointer off of a feed from Kyle Kokoskie '22.

The conference rivals traded blows from there as EC tried to chip away at the deficit and the Gators dug in defensively to fend off Elmira's offense. The Purple and Gold had the final say of the first half, as Quintel Clements '22 and Nurse combined to score the final four points to send EC into the break down 39-34.

The two sides continued the back-and-forth to open the second half of play, as Elmira came out firing to retake the lead. The Soaring Eagles tenacity paid off as they back lead with 14 minutes on the clock in the second half, as a Nurse pushed EC ahead, 48-46, with a fast break finish. As the momentum continued to shift in EC's favor, the Gators slowed Elmira's march with a 3-pointer from Jalon Borders.

The Purple and Gold responded immediately, rattling off 12 consecutive points to take a commanding 71-59 lead with a little over two minutes left to play. Once again, Nurse was at the center of it all, pouring in six points during the run. Rookie Haven Smith '23 put an emphatic stamp on Elmira's romp, as the Virginia Beach, Virginia, native finished through foul and drained the ensuing free throw. 

Sage was able to trim Elmira's lead down to five behind baskets from Darius Denmark and Borders, but that was as close as the visitors would get. The Soaring Eagles knocked down their free throws as time wound down to seal the victory.

News and Notes

• Elmira earned their first conference victory of the season.
• EC shot 43.4% (23-of-53) while holding Sage to a 37.9% (25-of-66) mark from the field.
• The Soaring Eagles knocked down 21 free throws compared to just 12 from the Gators.
• Nurse set career-highs in points (23) and rebounds (14).
• Nurse scored 20 or more points for the third consecutive game.
• Nurse's double-double was his third of the season.
• Backus broke the 20-point barrier for the third time during the 2019-20 campaign.
• Jesse Adelson '20 chipped in with seven points.
• Smith knocked down a season-high three free throws.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles continue their four-game homestand on Saturday, February 1, when they host Utica. Tip-off against the Pioneers is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.