Score: Elmira College 76, Alfred University 71
Records: Elmira (9-6, 1-5 E8), Alfred (2-12, 0-6 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team earned its first Empire 8 Conference win of the season and ended a five-game skid against league opponents by defeating Alfred University, 76-71, on its home hardwood inside Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

The Soaring Eagles opened the game with an 11-2 run, capped off by a Bridget Yaw '20 and-one midway through the first quarter. Before the quarter's end, the Purple and Gold pushed their advantage to double digits, 21-11, as part of what turned into an 8-0 run that bridged into the second quarter.

After trailing 25-11, Saxons managed to whittle the deficit down to just two points at 30-28 with one-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. However, Sally Hogan '19 sandwiched a pair of free throws and a last-second layup around a Danielle Cleary '18 3-point field, which gave EC a 37-30 cushion at the intermission.

The Soaring Eagles looked to put the game away early in the third quarter, as Elmira outscored Alfred 11-3 in the first three minutes of the stanza. Lindsey Heaton '19 and Rachel Vespucci '19 each scored four points in that stretch, followed by two more of Cleary's 12 points that gave EC its largest lead of the contest at 48-33.

The lead remained in double digits until Jamie Wilcox converted an and-one early in the fourth quarter. The unconventional three-point play trimmed the advantage down to nine points at 59-50. Not helping their own cause were the Soaring Eagles, who turned the ball over on eight occasions and missed 10 free throws in the final quarter. With Elmira on its heels, Amanda Figueroa made a pair of three-point plays with an and-one and a trey, the latter of which made it a one-possession contest at 66-63. While EC missed its next four fouls shots until Cleary ended the mini-drought with a lay-in. Emily Green '18 then sunk two free throws when Katlyn Boland was charged for an unsportsmanlike foul, giving the Soaring Eagles some breathing room with a 72-65 cushion and just 49 seconds left on the clock.

Elmira's balanced offensive attack featured five players who tallied 10-or-more points, led by Hogan with 14. Cleary and Vespucci both registered 12 points, while Heaton compiled 11 points and Green scored 10 of her own. Finishing just shy of a double-double was Lauren Franklin '20, who hauled in 13 boards to go along with nine points. Figueroa turned in a noteworthy performance for the visiting Saxons with game highs in both points (27) and steals (6).

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Shannon Howley on Elmira's first Empire 8 Conference win of the season…
"It feels good. Other than one game, we've been playing well and we just needed to finish a game. It was nice to do that and do it at home."

Coach Howley when asked about the offense's balanced scoring attack against Alfred...
"I think it means we are moving the ball. We are finding the open person, whoever it is. Twenty assists on 25 made field goals is a really good stat."

Coach Howley's thoughts on collecting a season-high 55 rebounds...
It is big. We preach defend, rebound and compete all of the time. We always compete, so our ability to control the boards leads not only to offense but to more energy on the defensive end as well."

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 9-6 overall and 1-5 inside E8 play.
• At home, the Soaring Eagles are 3-1 this season.
• The Soaring Eagles lead the all-time series against Alfred by a sizable 37-19 margin and have won 11 straight over the Saxons.
• EC's 76 points scored and 40.3 field-goal percentage mark the team's second-highest single-game totals of the year.
• The Soaring Eagles hauled in season-high 55 rebounds and finished with a plus-23 margin on the glass, which is also the second-best of the season.
• Cleary reached double figures for the 11th time in her senior campaign.
• Green has scored double-digit points in three consecutive games.
• Hogan reached double-digits for the sixth time in 2017-18.
• Yaw did not miss a shot against Alfred, going 2-for-2 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 1-for-1 from the charity stripe.

Up Next
Elmira's three-game homestand continues on Tuesday, January 23, when the Soaring Eagles host Nazareth College for an Empire 8 contest at Speidel Gymnasium at 8:00 p.m.