Score: Elmira College 63, Pennsylvania College of Technology 49
Records: Elmira (4-0), Penn College (1-4)
Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania -- Bardo Gymnasium

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team rebounded from a sloppy third quarter and sealed a 63-49 victory over the Pennsylvania College of Technology with a strong fourth quarter on Monday night. With the victory, the Soaring Eagles continued their perfect start to the 2017-18 season with an unblemished 4-0 record.

The EC offense scored 16 points in each of the first two quarters against the Wildcats and carried a 32-22 advantage into the locker room at the halftime break. However, Penn College roared out of the intermission and cut the once comfortable lead down to just two points, 39-37, by outscoring the Soaring Eagles 15-7 in the third quarter.

Still clinging to a two-point lead, 41-39, Lindsey Heaton '19 and Danielle Cleary '18 swung the momentum back in Elmira's favor with a pair of three-point plays. After Heaton drained a trey, Cleary forced a turnover on the following Wildcat possession and converted an and-one. The fastbreak lay-up and foul shot gave the Purple and Gold a little breathing room with an eight-point cushion, 47-39.

Cleary capped off a 16-5 run to open the final quarter by netting back-to-back 3-pointers, the latter of which put the Soaring Eagles up 55-42 with approximately six-and-a-half minutes to play. The standout senior guard from Rochester, New York, scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the final stanza, including a perfect 5-for-5 showing from the charity stripe in the last 10 minutes.

In addition to Cleary, Heaton and junior forward Rachel Vespucci '19 each scored double-figures. Heaton also went 5-for-5 from the foul line en route to 14 total points, while Vespucci registered 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Lauren Franklin '20 hauled in a team-high nine boards and contributed nine points.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Shannon Howley on the difference between the third and fourth quarters…
"We made shots. We missed too many open looks in the third, but made some in the fourth. We also got a few steals that we converted on and Danielle (Cleary) made a couple of big threes for us."

Coach Howley on EC's resiliency after recovering from the sloppy third quarter…
"I think we found a way to win when we didn't play well. Credit to Penn College, but we were able to make enough plays in the fourth quarter when we needed them."

Coach Howley when asked about preparing for another road game at SUNY Cortland on Thursday…
"I think we have to refocus and get back to doing what we do on the defensive end. This is going to have to be three days of high energy, intense practice to get ready for Cortland."

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 4-0 to start the 2017-18 campaign, the program's best start to a season since opening with four consecutive wins in 1997-98.
• The four-game win streak is the longest pieced together by the Soaring Eagles since they won 10 in a row from November 23, 2013, to January 20, 2014.
• EC is 11-0 all-time against the Wildcats.
• Cleary's 22 points are a season high.
• With 59 points through the first four games of the season, Cleary has become just the fourth player in program history to score 1,200-plus career points.
• Cleary surpassed Martha Bolduc '97 (1,202) for third-place all-time with 1,209 points in her well-decorated collegiate career.
• Vespucci scored double-digit points for the third time this season, while Heaton did so for the second time in four games.
• Emily Green '18 collected a season-high six rebounds.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will continue their season-long five-game road trip on Thursday, November 30, when the EC women trek to Cortland, New York, to face the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland. The opening tip is slated for 5:30 p.m.