Score: University of Mount Union 85, Elmira College 71
Records: Mount Union (2-0), Elmira (0-2)
Location: McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex– Alliance, OH

Alliance, OH -- The Elmira College women's basketball team opened play at the M-Club Classic with an 85-71 loss to the host Purple Raiders from the University of Mount Union on Friday night.

The loss comes despite an outstanding effort from EC's young backcourt. Reigning Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year Danielle Cleary '18 recorded her second consecutive double-double with 21 points and 14 boards, while Lindsey Heaton '19 finished with 19 points in only her second collegiate game.

Turnovers, however, plagued the Soaring Eagles' offense; EC coughed the ball up 24 times, leading to 30 points for the Purple Raiders. The Purple and Gold turned the ball over 15 times in the first half, allowing Mount Union to build a lead it would never relinquish.

After three quarters of play, Mount Union had built a 71-47 advantage, but the resilient EC women gave the Purple Raiders a run for their money in the final quarter. Elmira carved a chunk out of the deficit by outscoring the home squad, 24-14, in the final period.

With Mount Union holding its largest lead of the game, 77-50, the resilient EC squad went on a 14-1 run to come within 14 with just over 3 minutes remaining.

Heaton scored 11 of her points in the fourth quarter to spark the late rally. She sunk one of her two fourth-quarter treys with 6:28 remaining to make it 77-55. She ended the flurry with a pair free throws, making it a 78-64 game. Heaton buried her other three-pointer with under two minutes remaining, but it was too little too late for the Soaring Eagles.

As a team, EC improved from distance, going 6-for-15 (40.0 percent) from three-point land after opening the season only 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) in last week's loss to Pitt-Bradford. The Soaring Eagles also generated a large bulk of their offense from the foul line; EC was 31-for-40 from the charity stripe, marking the most made free throws by Elmira in a single game in over 15 years.

Turning Point
The Soaring Eagles endured a scoring drought lasting 3:29 in the second quarter. In that span, the Purple Raiders turned a 28-22 lead into a 15-point advantage at 37-22. Clearly end the dry spell with a three-pointer, but Mount Union had all the momentum it needed to take a dominate lead into the halftime break. EC would go scoreless for nearly two minutes following the trey from Cleary, enough time for the Purple Raiders to jump ahead by 19 points at 44-25.

Inside the Box

• Elmira shot 17-for-48 (35.4 percent) from the field.
• Mount Union tossed up 72 shots, but made only 36.1 percent (27-for-72) of those attempts.
• Cleary led EC with 21 points, followed by Heaton with 19 and Meghan Loya '16 with eight.
• Cleary pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
• Annie Bova scored a career-high 31 points to pace Mount Union.
• Bova led all scorers with 10 made field goals, including five treys.
• Elmira finished 31-for-40 from the foul line; Mount Union converted 25-of-39 free throw attempts.

News and Notes

• Cleary turned in her second straight double-double to open the season, the fourth of her career.
• With 19 points, Heaton more than doubled her point total from her collegiate debut last week vs. Pitt-Bradford.
• Cleary's 14 rebounds are a new career-high, three more than her previous best against Alfred University on February 21, 2015.
• Elmira's 31 made free throws mark the first time in over 15 seasons the Purple and Gold have converted more than 30 free throw attempts.
• Mount Union now leads the all-time series vs. EC, 1-0.
• Elmira has opened 0-2 for the second consecutive season.

Up Next
Elmira College will play Case Western Reserve in the consolation game of the M-Club Classic on Saturday, November 21st at 3:00 p.m. at Mount Union's McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. Case Western lost its Friday matchup against Waynesburg University, 73-69.