Elmira, NY – Junior Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) scored a career-high 27 points and netted the game-winning 3-point play with 36 seconds left in regulation to lift the Utica College men's basketball team to a 57-55 victory in Empire 8 Conference plat at Elmira College on Saturday.

Utica has now won three of its last four conference games and improved to 3-11 overall and more importantly 3-2 in Empire 8 play. Elmira's record moved to 2-10 overall and 0-3 in the E8.

Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) was a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor and also made 13-of-14 free throws to pace the Pioneers.  Junior point guard Bennito Ayarza (Brooklyn, NY/Cayuga Community College) added 12 points, while junior Ivan Iton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) added seven points and eight rebounds. The Pioneers made 27-of-38 free throws on the afternoon.

Justin Porrett led Elmira with 18 points, while Matt Davis added 11 points.  Henry Cuffee came off the bench and posted ten points.

Elmira jumped out to a five point lead, 14-9, after a 3-point basket from Justin Porrett at the 11:54 ledger of the 1^st half. The Soaring Eagles only relinquished their lead once in the next ten minutes after the Pioneers used a quick 6-0 burst to take a 25-23 lead with 2:19 left in the first half. The two evenly matched squads entered the locker room at the half with the score set at 27-27.

The second half featured ten lead changes. Elmira used a 9-2 run in a span of 3:00 to take its largest lead of the second half, 44-39, after a Henry Cuffee layup with 13:36 to go in regulation. Utica answered with an 8-0 run, including four points from Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), to take a 47-44 lead with 9:34 to play.

Elmira then pushed its lead back to five points with 5:11 left, before Utica made its game-winning rally. UC held the Soaring Eagles to just two points in the final 5:10 of the contest and Carl Taylor (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) netted the Pioneers final four points, including a 3-point play with 36 seconds left in the contest, to help the visitors rally for the two point victory.
 
UC returns to action on Tuesday when the Pioneers host conference leader St. John Fisher in Empire 8 action at the Clark Athletic Center at 8 p.m.