Elmira College (3-9, 0-3 Empire 8) vs. Ithaca College (6-6, 3-1 Empire 8)
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 | 8:00 P.M. | Ben Light Gymnasium – Ithaca, NY
Live Coverage | Game Notes

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's baskteball team will make 45-minute trip north to Ithaca College on Tuesday, January 12th, to take on the Bombers in Empire 8 Conference action at 8:00 p.m. The Soaring Eagles are seeking their first conference win in the early portion of the league schedule and will look to knock off the always-competitive Bombers for the first time in eight years.

Last Time Out
Elmira suffered a pair of conference losses over the weekend to St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College at Speidel Gymnasium. Fisher turned a slim 18-15 first quarter lead into a 39-point victory, defeating the Soaring Eagles 86-47. The Golden Flyers pulled away in the second half to earn a 20-point win, 73-53.

Speidel Skid
EC's home venue hasn't provided the Purple and Gold with much home-court advantage so far this season. The Soaring Eagles ended their four-game homestand at Speidel Gymnasium without a win, and are now 1-5 at home. The last time EC had lost four consecutive home games was in the final month of the 2011-12 season. EC's upcoming four-game road trip may be just what Elmira needs, as the Soaring Eagles are 2-3 in road contests this season.

Hard-Pressed For Points
Over the recent four-game losing streak, the Soaring Eagles have seen their scoring average dip as opponents continue to employ a stiff press defense. In the eight games before the Christmas break, EC's offense averaged 62.9 points per game, including a season-high 82 in the victory over Penn College on December 3rd. However, in the final game before the holiday vacation on December 12th, SUNY Potsdam showed that an effective full-court press could stymie the Soaring Eagles. Since then, EC's opponents have continued to pressure the ball, resulting in over 24.0 turnovers and nearly 29.0 points off of turnovers per game for the opposition.

Cleary Returns to Form
Entering the Christmas Break, second-year scoring threat Danielle Cleary '18 was averaging 20.8 points per game, and it looked as if no one would be able to slow her down. In her first three games back, the Rochester, NY, native averaged only 9.3 points per game, including two outings with a season-low seven points. In EC's most recent game against Nazareth College, however, the Empire 8 Conference's reigning Rookie of the Year rebounded with a team-high 17 points, her ninth double-digit performance of the season. Cleary was also perfect from the free-throw line, making all six of her attempts.

Vespucci Taking Advantage of Playing Time
First-year forward Rachel Vespucci '19 saw plenty of action against both St. John Fisher College and Nazareth, and performed admirably with an average of 11.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. She played 28 minutes against the Cardinals and another 29 against the Golden Flyers, marking the first games of her rookie season with over 20 minutes of playing time. Her 12 points against Fisher were one shy of her season high, and then the Macedon, NY, product recorded her first set of back-to-back double-digit games with 10 points the following night against Naz.

Finger Wag
The Soaring Eagles have channeled their inner Dikembe Mutombo in their last two games, blocking a season-high six shots in each contest. Cleary paced all EC players over the weekend with four total blocks, which should come as little surprise; her 18 blocks as a rookie were good enough for second on the team, and included a career-high three in her first collegiate game against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. With 11 blocks so far this season, Cleary leads the team and is tied for fifth in the Empire 8. Ashley Heiman '16, a skilled blocker on the volleyball court, turned in one of her finer defensive performances against Fisher with season highs in blocks (2), steals (3) and rebounds (6).

Series History
Since 1984, Ithaca College holds a 45-11 advantage in the series against Elmira and has won the last 15 matchups against the Soaring Eagles. EC's last victory over the Bombers came on January 22, 2008, when the Purple and Gold ousted Ithaca at Speidel Gymnasium with a 55-35 win.

Scouting Ithaca
The Bombers enter Tuesday's contest with a 6-6 overall record, which can be deceiving; two of those losses in the non-conference portion of the schedule came at the hands of then-No.12 Monclair State and No. 21 University of Rochester. Inside the Empire 8 Conference, Ithaca is 3-1, with its only loss against Stevens Institute of Technology. Last time out, the Bombers beat Alfred University 83-64. Leading the way for Ithaca is sophomore guard Jordan Beers with 12.9 points per game, while juniors Ali Ricchiuti and Erin Ferguson are averaging 11.9 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Ferguson leads the E8 with 67.8 field-goal percentage and ranks 10th in the conference with 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Up Next
The Elmira College women's basketball team will continue its road trip with an 8:00 p.m. game at Utica College on Friday, January 15th.