HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Phil Pellegrino (Rochester, NY, Alfred University) scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, leading the Houghton College Highlanders past the Elmira College Soaring Eagles, 74-64.
 
To say the game started a bit slow would be a bit of an understatement.  Neither team scored in the game's opening five minutes as the two teams combined to miss their first 16 shots. 
 
Midway through the first half the game stood knotted at five.
 
Slowly but surely both teams began to warm up on the offensive end, trading leads throughout the remaining ten minutes and headed to the locker rooms tied at 25.
 
The early minutes of the second half picked up where they had left until Houghton reeled off an 8-0 run over a 2:30 period to capture a lead they would never relinquish.
 
A layup by guard Gino Leonardi would pull the Soaring Eagles within three with just over five minutes remaining, but Pellegrino answered with a long-range three.  Moments later, Antonio Deadmon (Dallas, TX, Texas Southern) put the nail in the coffin, draining another Houghton three-pointer as the shot clock expired.
 
The win is the first time Houghton has defeated Elmira since joining the Empire 8 Conference in 2012-13.
 
Game Vitals:
      >Score:  Houghton College - 74  |   Elmira College - 64
      >Records:  Houghton College: 7-8 (2-5 Empire 8)   |   Elmira College: 2-14 (0-7 Empire 8)
      >Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY    |    Attendance: 178 
 
Clutch Performances:
The Highlanders:
      >Pellegrino hit 6-of-11 shots, including 4-6 from beyond the three-point line and 6-6 from the foul line. 
      >Brandon Camacho finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists
      >John Nelson chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds
.
The Soaring Eagles:
      >Leonardi led all scorers with 23 points, while Justin Porrett added 14 points and five assists.
       
Stat Analysis:
      >After finishing the first half with only four trips to the line (2-of-4), Houghton sank all 15 foul shots they attempted in the second half. The Soaring Eagles finished the first half 5-of-6 from the line, but hit only 9-of-16 shots from the line in the second half.
      >Houghton turned in a dominant performance on the boards, outrebounding Elmira 47-30, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive end.
 
Next Time Out:
Houghton heads to rival Alfred University on Saturday to take on the Saxons in another Empire 8 conference matchup at 4:00 p.m.