Utica, NY -- Karli Pochkar '16 scored the go-ahead layup with just seven seconds left in the game and Utica College's Ashley Mayo missed a pair of free throws with two seconds on the clock, lifting the Elmira College women's basketball team to a much-needed 53-52 victory over Utica. The Soaring Eagles overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to salvage a split with the Pioneers, avenging a previous loss that saw Utica accomplish nearly the same feat.
Pochkar's game-winning layup gave her 12 points in the game, coming on 6-of-10 shooting. Her point total was second on the team as
Alex Balara '15 scored a game-high 21 points while playing all 40 minutes of tonight's game. Balara hit 5-of-7 from three-point range, shooting 7-of-13 overall, and was a perfect 2-of-2 from the free throw line. In addition to her 21 points, Balara added three rebounds, three steals, one block, and one assist.
The remaining 20 points of Elmira's scoring total came from four players,
Meghan Loya '16,
Kelsey Geisler '15,
Danielle Cleary '18, and
Jessica Brooks '16. Loya had seven points and tied for the game-high with 10 rebounds. She also recorded three assists and three blocks. Geisler turned in six points and five assists, and Cleary scored five points while matching Loya with 10 rebounds. Cleary also notched two assists, her final one coming Pochkar's game-winning layup.
The two teams traded the lead for much of the first half, with neither the Soaring Eagles nor the Pioneers leading by more than four points until the 8:04 mark of the opening half. Brooks' only points of the night, a jumper, gave EC a 20-15 lead, but Utica answered with a basket of their own on the very next possession to a one-possession game again. That basket was the start of a 15-3 Pioneer run that spanned the remainder of the half and put the Purple and Gold behind 30-23 at the break.
EC's deficit did not last long as they opened the second half on a 10-0 run to regain a 33-30 advantage. The Pioneers responded with a 7-0 run to back up by four points, which would be their largest lead of the second half. Elmira trailed 38-39 with 12:28 to play, but a Balara three-pointer kicked-off a 9-1 run that gave the Soaring Eagles their largest lead of the night at 47-40.
Just like every other instance in tonight's game, the lead was not safe as Utica chipped away at the deficit and regained the lead at 50-49 with just 2:04 left in regulation. A pair of free throws from Geisler with 1:14 on the clock put EC back in front, 51-50, but a Bridget Greenwald layup brought another lead change with just 24 seconds to play.
The 24 seconds remaining in the game proved to be plenty of time for the Soaring Eagles to execute their final play as Cleary found Pochkar for the go-ahead layup with only seven seconds to play. The Pioneers had one last opportunity to win the game as Loya fouled Ashley Mayo with two seconds left, putting her on the line for a pair of free throws. Mayo missed both attempts and EC gained possession, sealing their 53-52 win.
The Soaring Eagles return home for a non-conference game against SUNY Cortland tomorrow, January 24th at 4:00 p.m.
