Score: Elmira College 68 – Houghton College 62
Records: Elmira (7-15, 4-9 Empire 8), Houghton (9-13, 3-10 Empire 8)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's basketball team concluded its home schedule on a high-note on Tuesday evening, riding a big third quarter to best Houghton College 68-62. The Soaring Eagles head into their final road trip of the season carrying momentum, after staging two separate big comebacks to earn the season sweep over the Highlanders.
The first quarter was a tale of two prolonged scoring runs. It was the Highlanders who got off to a fast start on Tuesday evening, threatening to pull away early. Houghton jumped out to a sizeable lead, using both its inside and outside games to open the game on a 10-2 run.
The Soaring Eagles used their distance shooting to mount a response. Lindsey Heaton '19 and Marissa Silverman '17 knocked down deep triples on back-to-back possessions to get back into the game. Meghan Loya '16 added a couple buckets in the lane, while Ashley Heiman '16 knocked down a turning hook shot, as part of a 12-0 run. Elmira led 17-12 at the end of the quarter.
The Houghton defense buckled down in the second quarter, limiting Elmira to just five points in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Highlanders rediscovered their own scoring stroke with 17 points in the frame. EC found Houghton's Maisie Pipher difficult to contain down low, as she netted six points in the quarter to finish with 10 in the opening half.
Danielle Cleary '18 snapped a long scoring drought and a 12-2 scoring run by the Highlanders with a deep three with just under two minutes remaining in the half. However, Houghton closed the half on a mini 5-0 run to take a 29-22 lead at the break.
After a quick bucket to begin the quarter to briefly stretch the Houghton lead to nine, Elmira began to reel in the Highlanders. Cleary knocked down another deep trey and later netted a layup to help EC take a one-point advantage. The Soaring Eagles would take control of the game with 12-2 run just a couple minutes later.
Emily Green '18 sparked the run with five points. She knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the arc and added a layup on a fast break on the ensuing possession to open up a five-point gap. Silverman added a layup, while Heaton beat her defender off the dribble for another easy two points to stretch the Elmira lead to nine.
Green continued to play a big role in the offense, pouring in four more points down the stretch of the third quarter. Elmira took a 50-40 lead into the final quarter.
Elmira continued to hold down at double-digit advantage until the Highlanders closed the gap late. Elle Reed knocked down a deep triple with 2:00 remaining. Pipher nailed a layup to close the EC lead to four with 1:36 to play.
Things looked even more precarious down the stretch, as EC turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound pass. The Highlanders missed a layup; however, Cleary was called for a travel after coming down with the rebound, giving Houghton another chance to cut within one possession of tying the game with 1:24 remaining.
The ensuing inbounds sequence proved to be the difference in the game. Pipher was called for an offensive foul on the inbound play giving EC possession back. On the next inbounds, Danielle Cleary '18 broke through the press, before getting hauled down near the three-point line. Houghton's Hannah Manwaring was called for a flagrant foul. Cleary knocked down two free throws and Heaton poured in two more after drawing another foul, widening the gap back to eight at 64-56.
Elmira closed things out at the free-throw line down the stretch to secure the 68-62 victory.
In Her Own Words…
Head Coach Shannon Howley on the team's performance…
"Overall, I thought we played pretty well. We got off to a good start, but due to some foul trouble our offense kind of stuttered in the second quarter. For the most part we defended pretty well in the first half, so we stayed within striking distance. We had a great run to take the lead in the third, but made a few too many careless turnovers that led to some run outs that let them back in late. I'm proud of the girls for pulling it out in the end."
Howley on Marissa Silverman's performance…
"I though Marissa gave us a spark offensively. We were able to get out and run, which helped us get a lead. She played a big part in helping us get the win tonight."
Howley on the team's fight to stage comebacks a couple times tonight…
"We are a young team and we have been inconsistent at times with our compete level when things get tough. However, when we dig in and really focus we have shown the ability to come back from double-digit deficits. The team did a great job of buckling down in the clutch tonight."
Howley on winning the final home game of the year…
"It is always nice to win the last home game of the year. I think it will mean more to our graduating players to win their last game. After the last three-four games we have had, we just needed to find a way to win tonight."
Howley on carrying the momentum into the final road swing…
"We need to concentrate on continuing to do the things we do well. We'll have to hit the glass hard, be prudent with the basketball and play smart, especially against two playoff bound teams [St. John Fisher and Nazareth] this weekend. If we do these things well we'll have a chance to get a couple road wins."
Turning Point
The inbound sequence with 1:24 left proved to be the difference. The Houghton run was stymied in its tracks, while Elmira was able to reestablish its three-possession lead.
Inside the Box Score
- Elmira had an excellent day from the field, going 22-for-46 (47.8-percent) in the contest.
- The Soaring Eagles were on the mark from distance, shooting 7-for-13 (53.8-percent) from beyond the arc.
- EC went 17-for-26 from the charity stripe, edging Houghton, who went 10-for-14.
- Elmira limited the Highlanders to just a 23-for-63 (36.5-percent) clip from the field.
- Houghton edged Elmira 37-to-36 in rebounds.
- The Highlanders swiped the ball 12 times, while EC finished with nine steals.
- The Soaring Eagles finished to four blocks, while the Highlanders ended the game with two.
- EC edged Houghton 15-to-13 in assists.
- Cleary finished with a game-high 15 points.
- Heaton finished with a game-high eight assists.
- Loya pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
- Jessica Brooks '16 had a productive night with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field.
News and Notes
- With the win, Elmira moves to 7-1 all-time against Houghton.
- Elmira has now won seven straight in the series between the two programs.
- With the win, Elmira secured a season sweep over the Highlanders.
- With the 10 rebounds, Loya now has 575 boards for her career. She is now within nine of passing Bridget Catanese '08 (583) for fifth place on the program's all-time list.
- Cleary went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line to move within four makes of tying her single-season mark of 109 from her rookie campaign.
- Four Elmira players scored in double-figures tonight, a first for the team this season. Elmira accomplished that feat three times last season.
- Elmira's 47.8-percent shooting clip from the field marked the team's best performance of the season.
- EC's 53.8-percent shooting from three-point range was also a season high for the squad.
Up Next
The Elmira women head to Rochester, NY, to open the final road swing of the season this coming weekend. EC opens the weekend back-to-back when it clashes with St. John Fisher College at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 12th.