Score: Elmira College 73, Clarks Summit University 41
Records: Elmira (7-0), Clarks Summit (0-6)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team put on one of its best all-around performances of the 2017-18 campaign on Tuesday evening inside Speidel Gymnasium to defeat Clarks Summit by a 73-41 final score, which extends the Purple and Gold's best start in over 36 years to seven straight wins.  
 
EC played a real team game against the Defenders, as 11 Soaring Eagles players saw the court tonight, with four cracking double-digit points. Rachel Vespucci '19 led all players with a season-high 16 points, in addition to grabbing nine rebounds. Vespucci was closely followed by Danielle Cleary '18, who scored 12 points to go along with seven boards and five assists.
 
Sophomore forward Emily Breheny '20 had a breakout game, as she set new career highs in both points (10) and rebounds (11). The product of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, showcased some very efficient scoring, going 5-for-7 (71.4 percent) from the floor. Rounding out Elmira's double-digit scorers was Emily Green '18, who netted 10 points and dished out four assists.
 
EC's main strength tonight was its ability to clean the boards, as it finished with a season-high-tying 54 rebounds, compared to Clarks Summit's 28 boards. This rebound discrepancy led to the Soaring Eagles owning a 26-shot advantage, 75-49, in overall attempts. The Purple and Gold were also more efficient on their shots, as they finished the game 30-for-75 (40.0 percent) from the field, their highest shooting percentage of the year. The defenders, on the other hand, shot 16-for-39 (32.7 percent).
 
Elmira took control of tonight's contest from the opening whistle, as they stormed out to a 16-point advantage, 18-2, in the first seven minutes of the game. EC's smothering defense held Clarks Summit to just 1-for-5 shooting in the first seven minutes, which helped fuel the Purple and Gold's offense on the other end. The Soaring Eagles continued to pour it on in the second quarter, taking a 35-15 lead into the halftime break.
 
Despite a strong third quarter by the Defenders, a quarter in which they outscored Elmira, 17-15, the game was never in question in the second half. EC continued its dominant play in the fourth quarter to seal the 32-point victory, 73-41. The 32-point win is the Soaring Eagles largest since it topped Penn College by 42 points on November 11 of last season at Speidel Gymnasium.
 
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Shannon Howley shares her general thoughts about tonight's victory…
"I thought we came out with good energy. We played well on the defensive end, as well as on the boards."
 
Coach Howley on the team's dominance on the glass against the Defenders…
"Just a commitment to getting rebounds. It is always a little tougher to rebound out of zone defense, so we really wanted to attack the glass."
 
Coach Howley share her thoughts on the team's overall defensive performance …
"We have been pretty good on the defensive end of the floor all year. The women are committed to it and they are helping each other."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira extended its undefeated start to 7-0 with its second win at Speidel Gymnasium this season
• The Purple and Gold improve to 3-0 in the all-time series against the Defenders.
• EC's 32-point win today is its largest margin of victory this season, just above its 31-point defeat, 63-32,  of Keystone on November 17.
• The last time the Soaring Eagles bested a team by at least 32 points was in its 42-point victory, 65-23, over Penn College on November 11, 2016.
• Elmira's 40.0 field goal percentage tonight was its best of the year.
• EC's 54 rebounds tied a season high for the team.
• Breheny recorded new career highs in both points (10) and rebounds (11), which also gave her the first double-double of her career.
• With five assists tonight, Lindsey Heaton '19 has 206 in her career, which is the seventh-most in program history.
• Vespucci's 16 points are a season high for the junior.
• Rookies Brittany Boyce '21 (12) and Maleah Williams '21 (4) both played new career highs in minutes tonight.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will look for its eighth consecutive win on Wednesday, December 20, when they begin play at the D3 St. Pete Classic, which will be played at the MacArthur Center on the campus of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. EC starts the event on Wednesday with an 11:00 a.m. bout against Berry College (Ga.).