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Lexington, VA -- Playing in their first game in three weeks, the Elmira College men's basketball team (2-4) fell in the opening game of the Washington and Lee Tournament to the host, Washington and Lee University (3-7), 86-55. Elmira guard,
Justin Henderson '16, led the Soaring Eagles with 12 points, his third double-digit scoring performance of the year.
The Generals of Washington and Lee opened today's game by taking a 9-2 lead but the Soaring Eagles answered with a 13-3 run to take a 15-12 lead with 13:40 to play in the first half. Elmira's run was a result of precision shooting from beyond the arc as the Soaring Eagles went 3-for-4 from three-point range, with makes by Henderson,
Gino Leonardi '16, and
Hayden Harkins '18.
Elmira's 15-12 lead would not last for long as the Generals went on a run of their own, a 13-0 run, that gave Washington and Lee a 25-15 lead with 9:50 to play in the first half. EC's
Justin Ruback '18 put an end to the run with made three-point basket but the Generals would extend their lead to 33-20 with 6:31 to play.
The Soaring Eagles would make it a two possession game over the next three minutes as Elmira pieced together a mini 9-2 run, cutting the Washington and Lee lead to 35-29 with 3:46 remaining in the half. Unfortunately for Elmira, the Generals would go on a 10-1 run to claim their largest lead of the half, 45-30, with just eight second remaining. With time expiring,
Oladapo Badmos '17 would hit a deep three-pointer at the buzzer as the Purple and Gold entered the halftime break trailing, 45-33.
In the second half, Elmira would struggle to find their shooting touch as the Soaring Eagles went 6-for-23 from the floor. EC's shooting woes were compounded by Washington and Lee's successful shooting as the Generals made 18-of-32 shots, allowing the tournament host to march away with an 86-55 victory.
Henderson was Elmira's lone double-digit scorer with 12 points but Harkins and Leonardi were not far behind with nine and eight points, respectively. The Soaring Eagles will be back in action tomorrow as EC concludes play at the Washington and Lee Tournament. Elmira will face the loser of today's second game between No. 13 nationally ranked Centre College and Johns Hopkins University.
