Score: Elmira College 68, Hilbert College 57
Records: Elmira (1-3), Hilbert (2-3)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium -- Elmira, NY

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's basketball team earned its first win of the 2015-16 season by defeating Hilbert College, 68-57, in the Soaring Eagles' home opener at Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Elmira's young backcourt once again led the charge, spearheaded by the scoring efforts of the Empire 8 Conference's reigning Rookie of the Year, Danielle Cleary '18. Cleary continued her record start to the season by netting a season-high 29 points while finishing one board shy of her third double-double of the season.

Complimenting Cleary was the duo of Emily Green '18, who scored career-highs with 16 points and three made treys, and Lindsey Heaton '19, who scored eight points and dished out a season-high seven assists.

It was a tale of two halves for the Soaring Eagles. EC shot 32.0 percent (8-for-25) from the field and 28.6 percent (2-for-7) from three-point land in the first 20 minutes of play. After going on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 21-13 in the second quarter, Elmira found itself in a lull, and the Hawks went on a 13-1 run of their own to take a four-point lead, 26-22, with under a minute remaining in the first half.

Jessica Brooks '16 drilled a three-pointer with 18 seconds left in the period, Elmira's only points scored in the final 4:16 of the second quarter, to cut the Hilbert lead to one at 26-25.

The Purple and Gold, however, stormed out of the locker room after the intermission and shot 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from the field and 50.0 percent (6-for-12) from three, turning a one-point halftime deficit into a comfortable lead.

EC went on a 14-3 run in the third quarter to pull ahead and the Soaring Eagles never looked back from there. The charge began with an unconventional three-point play from Heaton, who made the layup and converted the ensuing free throw to make it 30-28 in favor of the home squad. A little over a minute later, Green drilled a three to push the cushion to seven points, and with 3:30 left in the quarter, Heaton hit a trey to make it 41-31 EC.

The Soaring Eagles used the three-ball to end any hope of a Hilbert comeback in the fourth quarter. Cleary opened scoring in the final period with a three-pointer, and Green sunk one of her own at the 7:47 mark. Midway through the quarter, Green scored her third three-pointer of the night to give the Soaring Eagles a convincing 14-point lead at 59-45.

Elmira made seven of its eight free throws in the final minute of play to reach the final tally.

In Their Own Words
Head Coach Shannon Howley on getting the first win of the season…
"We needed to find a way to get that first win. We've been improving every time out against good teams. It was important to get the win tonight and equally important to do it on our home court."

Coach Howley on Elmira's superb second-half play…
"We were not playing well in the first half. We just needed to make a few plays and run our offense. We also needed to rebound better. We improved in the second half and made the plays we needed to. Our kids competed for 40 minutes and got a result."

Coach Howley on the outstanding performance of Cleary so far this year…
"She has obviously been very good for us. She is being very aggressive, which is a good thing. I think her rebounding is underrated. She had one at the half and finished with nine. She also made better decisions in terms of shot selection tonight."

Coach Howley on the growth of Green and Heaton…
"They are important to us. They are both growing and we are going to need them to put up those numbers consistently. It definitely helps Danielle and Meghan Loya."

Turning Point
After a scoring drought turned an eight-point second-quarter lead into a 26-25 deficit at the half, Elmira stormed out of the locker room with a 14-3 run to take a lead it would never relinquish. The momentum swung in EC's favor when Heaton completed her and-one at the 7:46 mark in the third quarter, which turned a 28-27 Hilbert lead – the last lead of the night for the Hawks – into a two-point Elmira advantage.

Inside the Box

• Elmira shot 37.0 percent (20for-54) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-for-19) from three-point range.
• EC made 20 of its 23 free throw attempts, an 87.0-percent conversion rate.
• The Purple and Gold turned the ball over a season-low 14 times while forcing a season-best nine turnovers.
• Cleary led all scorers with 29 points and her nine boards marked a team high.
• Green finished second on the team with 16 points.
• Heaton dished out a game-high seven dimes.
• Meghan Loya '16 scored seven points and finished second on the team with eight rebounds.
• Katelyn Proy made a game-high eight field goals for Hilbert and paced the Hawks with 16 points.
• Hilbert's Shannon Rogers scored a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

News and Notes

• With the win, the Soaring Eagles are now 2-0 all-time against the Hawks.
• The 57 points scored by Hilbert are the fewest allowed by EC this season.
• Cleary's three-game streak with 20-plus points is the longest of her career and the first such streak by a Soaring Eagle since Jessica Zoltowski '14 scored over 20 points in a three-game span from February 8-14, 2014.
• Green's 16 points marked a career high.
• Heaton's seven assists are a career high.
• Through four games, Cleary leads the Empire 8 Conference with 20.8 points per game and is tied with Loya for second in rebounds with 9.8 per game.

Up Next
The Elmira College women's basketball team will return to Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 1st, when the Soaring Eagles host Clarkson University in a 6:00 p.m. non-conference game.