Score: Elmira College 63 – Alfred University 53
Records: Elmira (6-11, 3-5 Empire 8), Alfred 1-15, 0-7 Empire 8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's basketball team earned is second straight conference victory Thursday night with a 63-53 victory over the visiting Alfred University Saxons at Speidel Gymnasium.

After leading by two at the half, 25-23, EC outscored the Saxons 21-12 in the third quarter and led by as much as 13 in the period. Although Alfred was unable to take the lead at any point in the second half, the Saxons whittled a 50-37 Elmira lead down to two points with 11 unanswered points. The Soaring Eagles restored momentum after Danielle Cleary '18 drained a three-pointer, followed by a layup after Allie Olsen '16 forced the turnover on the ensuing Alfred inbounds play.

The Saxons had one more chance to work their way back into the lead with approximately one minute to play. McKaylee Croll scored a three-pointer to make it 57-53 in favor of the Soaring Eagles. Then with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Battle was fouled by Lindsey Heaton '19 and stepped to the line with a chance to make it a two-point game. Battle, however, missed both foul shots. As a team, Alfred was a mere 1-for-3 from the foul line.

Cleary and Heaton combined to go 6-for-6 from the line on the other end of the court to secure the win.

The first quarter was all Alfred, as the Saxons held a 15-8 lead through the first 10 minutes of play. Elmira missed its first eight field goals and turned the ball over three times before finally scoring a pair on a jumper from Marissa Silverman'17 midway through the first.

The tide turned in EC's favor with a string of three-point plays in the second quarter. A trey from Cleary, followed by an and-one from Heaton, brought the Purple and Gold within one point, 21-20, with 3:00 left in the first half. Cleary then tied the game at 23-all with another three-pointer before giving Elmira a 25-23 advantage with a fastbreak layup.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Shannon Howley on her team holding off Alfred's late run...
"We made some mental mistakes that caused defensive breakdowns. We made a couple of shots and then got a big steal from Allie and finish from Danielle to spread it back out."

Coach Howley on the adjustments she made at halftime...
"We didn't change much. We just missed too many layups in the first half. Our defense was good, we just needed to convert on the offensive end."

Coach Howley on winning two in a row and three of the last four...
"I think we are starting to understand what it takes to win and how hard you have to play every time we step on the court. It felt good to get the win tonight."

Turning Point
The Soaring Eagles sealed the victory with five points in a span of 12 seconds late in the fourth quarter. After Alfred used an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 50-48, Cleary hit her fourth trey of the night to push the lead back out to five. Then on the following inbounds play, Olsen stripped Alfred's Chanice Battle and fed the ball back to Cleary for an easy layup. The quick steal and score swung momentum back in Elmira's favor and the Purple and Gold made eight free throws down the stretch for the win.

Inside in the Box

• Elmira finished 22-for-65 (33.8 percent) from the floor and 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) from three-point range.
• Alfred was 24-for-61 from the field (39.3 percent) and 4-for-12 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
• The Soaring Eagles out-rebounded the Saxons, 43-to-39.
• Defensively, EC registered 12 steals and six blocks.
• Cleary paced the Soaring Eagles with 22 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
• Heaton and Emily Green '18 each scored nine points.
• Meghan Loya '16 hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds.
• Alfred's Amanda Off scored a game-high 26 points, shooting 12-for-20 from the field.

News and Notes

• Elmira has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and the first time January 10-16, 2015.
• EC improved to 3-5 inside Empire 8 Conference play.
• The Soaring Eagles are now 6-0 this season when limiting opponents to less than 60 points; however, EC is 0-11 when the opposition scores 60 or more.
• EC's 12 steals marked a new season high, while the six blocks tied Elmira previous single-game best this year.
• Cleary's 22 points marked her eighth game with 20-plus points in her sophomore campaign.
• Alfred's three attempted free throws are the fewest the Soaring Eagles have allowed since Wilkes College finished 1-for-3 from the line on December 7, 2004, a 61-45 EC win at Speidel Gymnasium.
• The Purple and Gold have now won seven straight versus Alfred.

Up Next
Elmira returns to action next Wednesday, January 27th, when the Soaring Eagles welcome Ithaca College for a conference bout. The opening tip is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at EC's Speidel Gymnasium.