ALBANY, N.Y. — Keuka College Women's Basketball freshman Mary Cotter (Hershey, Pa. / Hershey) set a career-high with 22 points on Saturday, but the Wolves lost to Russell Sage College 70-54 on the road in an Empire 8 Conference game.

The 22 points for Cotter was the most by a Keuka College (3-5, 0-2 Empire 8) player this season. Meg McGwin (Rochester, N.Y. / Hilton) added 12 points. Cotter and McGwin also tied for the team lead with six rebounds.

Russell Sage College 70 vs. Keuka College 54

After a close start to the game, the host Gators scored nine unanswered to build a 15-5 advantage over the Wolves. A jumper by Meg McGwin stopped the run and Gianna Padula (Kenmore, N.Y. / Cardinal O'Hara) followed with a jumper of her own to make it 15-9, but Russell Sage scored the final seven points of the first to lead 22-9 after one.

The Wolves responded with a better quarter in the second.  They shot 45.5% from the floor and went 2-3 from deep. Neither team scored in the opening three minutes of the frame. Cotter opened the scoring with a three to make it a ten-point game. The Gators opened their lead back up, but the Green and Gold continued to fight. The Wolves scored seven straight, topped by a Cotter three to make it 29-22 with 2:35 left in the half. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the half. It would be a ten-point lead for Russell Sage, 36-26 at the half.

The Wolves cut the lead back to single digits following a Sydney Brown (Lowville, N.Y. / Lowville Academy) three early in the third quarter. The Gators slowly grew their lead back in the third. Lauren Hill (Cobleskill, N.Y. / Cobleskill-Richmondville) found Cotter at for a jumper in the final seconds, but Russell Sage led 52-37 following three quarters.

For the third time in the game, a Mary Cotter three was the first basket of the quarter for the Wolves. However, Russell Sage had an answer for every Keuka College basket. The Wolves would cut the margin to 12 multiple times in the final frame but never got it any closer as Keuka College fell to 0-2 in conference play.

KC Notes:

• The Wolves remain 9-5 all-time against Russell Sage College, but the Gators have won four straight
• Cotter is the first player to score 20 points for the Wolves since Amelia Poole '21 scored 22 points for Keuka College in last year's season finale, also against Russell Sage. In that game, Poole knocked down six threes, just like Cotter did on Saturday
• The six threes by Cotter are also the most made in a game in the Empire 8 this season
• As a team, Keuka College hit a season-high 10 three-pointers. However, Russell Sage knocked down 13 of their own, the most by a Keuka College opponent this season
• Each team missed just one free throw in the game. Keuka College went 8-9 from the line while Russell Sage went 16-17
• Meg McGwin had four steals for the second straight game

Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves have one final game before the holiday break. Keuka College will travel to Pennsylvania to face Pitt.-Bradford on Friday, Dec. 9. The Wolves defeated the Panthers 79-63 last season.