Score: Elmira College 56, Utica College 53
Records: Elmira (4-10, 1-4 E8), Utica (6-7, 1-3 E8)
Location: Clark Athletic Center – Utica, NY

Utica, NY -- A 22-point fourth quarter allowed the Elmira College women's basketball team to overcome a second-half deficit and defeat Utica College, 56-53, in Empire 8 Conference action on Friday night.

Trailing 39-35 entering the fourth quarter, the Soaring Eagles went on an 8-0 run to open the period and take a 43-39 lead. Danielle Cleary '18 scored four of her 15 second-half points with a pair of jumpers to spark the rally.

After a pair of free throws from Utica's Calypso Carty, Emily Green '18 drained a pair of jump shots on back-to-back EC possessions, the latter extending the lead to 48-41 with 3:29 to play. The Pioneers battled back, and Utica's Ashelyn Babb twice cut the Elmira lead to one point. Carty then knotted the game at 52-all to cap off an 11-4 run with 1:02 left in regulation.

Althought Utica held a large lead in made free throws throughout the contest, foul shots allowed Elmira to seal the game in the final moments. Cleary made three to break the tie and give the Soaring Eagles a three-point cushion with 37 ticks left on the clock. With eight seconds left in the fourth quarter, Babb was sent to the line with a chance to cut EC's lead back to one, but missed the first of her two foul shots. With the Pioneers forced to foul EC on the final possession, Marissa Silverman '17 converted one of her two free shots in the final seconds for the three-point win.

EC held a one-point advantage, 16-15, at the end of the first quarter. The Purple and Gold outshot the Pioneers from the field, a whopping 57.1-to-26.7 percent. Utica, however, made it to the line 13 times and scored seven of their first-quarter points off of free throws.

After Cleary gave the Soaring Eagles the one-point cushion with a jumper with 33 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, the offense plunged into a scoring drought that lasted until the 4:30 mark of the second quarter. During that time, Utica scored the first five points of the second period to pull ahead 20-16. Cleary finally ended the drought with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one. Later down by three, Silverman and Jessica Brooks '17 scored points on back-to-back possessions, as Elmira regained the lead, 25-24, with 1:19 to play before the break.

The back-and-forth first half ended with the Pioneers holding a slim 26-25 advantage over the Soaring Eagles thanks to a Carty layup with 48 seconds to go in the half.

Turning Point
Free throws proved to be the difference down the stretch. The Pioneers finished the contest shooting a mere 53.8 percent from the line, as Utica converted 21 of its 39 attempts. In the pivotal fourth quarter, the Pioneers went 8-for-15 from the line. On the other hand, Elmira was able to seal the win from the charity stripe by shooting 9-for-13 in the fourth quarter after going on 3-for-7 from the line in the game's first 30 minutes.

Inside the Box

• Elmira outshot Utica from the field, shooting 40.4 percent (21-for-52) as compared to 29.6 percent (16-for-54).
• Neither team was efficient from three-point range; EC finished 2-for-13 while Utica didn't make a trey in seven tries.
• The Pioneers held a 44-to-40 advantage in rebounds.
• Cleary scored a game-high 22 points and led all shooters from the line, making nine of her 13 free throws.
• Green and Silverman each scored nine points for EC.
• Meghan Loya '16 hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Three Pioneers registered double-digit points, led by Ashelyn Babb with 17.

News and Notes

• Elmira's victory over Utica is the first inside the Empire 8 Conference this season for the Soaring Eagles.
• EC has won five of the last six matchups against the Pioneers.
• The 40.4 field-goal percentage marked only the second time this season Elmira shot over 40.0 percent from the field, while limiting Utica to a 29.6 rate from the floor, the worst by an opponent this season.
• Cleary's 22 points mark the seventh game of her sophomore season with 20-plus points and her first such game since scoring 25 in EC's last win, a 61-53 victory over SUNY Postdam on December 12, 2015.
• Cleary moved into 10th-place all-time in Elmira history with 187 made free throws.
• Loya is now 10th all-time in program history with 511 career rebounds.

Up Next
The Elmira College women's basketball team will concluded its back-to-back weekend against conference opponents with a trip to Oneonta, NY, to take on the Hartwick College Hawks at 4:00 p.m.