Elmira College (6-13, 3-7 E8) vs. Utica College (7-12, 2-8 E8)
Friday, February 5, 2016 | 8:00 P.M. | Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes

Elmira College (6-13, 3-7 E8) vs. Hartwick College (8-10, 6-4 E8)
Saturday, February 6, 2016 | 4:00 P.M. | Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's basketball team will look for the sweep of Empire 8 Conference foe Utica College on Friday, February 5th at 8:00 p.m., before welcoming the Hartwick College Hawks to the Murray Athletic Center on Saturday, February 6th for a 4:00 p.m. conference contest.

Last Time Out
Although the Soaring Eagles were able to turn a 13-point first-quarter deficit into a four-point lead in the second quarter, the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology pulled away in the second half en route to a 67-55 win on Saturday, January 30th. Trailing 13-0 in the opening period, EC went on a 19-2 run to take the lead at the 7:43 mark in the second quarter. The two teams played to a 29-all tie at the break, but the Ducks flew ahead by double digits in the third quarter and never looked back. Meghan Loya '16 paced the Soaring Eagles with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Danielle Cleary '18 and Emily Green '18 each scored 13 points. Stevens' Kaitlyn Astel led all players with 23 points to guide the Ducks to a 9-0 start inside Empire 8 Conference play.

Conference Leaders
Cleary and Loya are among the conference leaders in several different categories. Cleary is one of only four players inside the top-10 in both scoring and rebounding, as the reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year is second in the league with 17.1 points and eighth with 6.9 rebounds per game. The Rochester, NY, native also has the most made free throws in the E8 (96) and is eighth in both free-throw percentage (80.7) and made threes per game (1.7). Loya, who continues to climb EC's career rebounding chart, is averaging 8.2 boards per game, fourth-most in the E8.

Loya Looking Sharp
The senior from Bethel, CT, continues to impress for the Soaring Eagles. She tied her career high with 14 points against Stevens on Saturday. It was the fifth 14-point game of her career and her first such game since doing so on February 9th, 2015, against Pennsylvania College of Technology. In addition, Loya continued to be a force on the glass, as she only needed one more rebound to earn her second double-double of the season. The 5-10 forward has also seen an increased amount of attempts from the free-throw line, going 11-for-13 from the charity stripe over the last three games. Since the start of 2016, Loya has only missed three foul shots, compiling an impressive 88.5 free-throw percentage over that span.

Heaton Heating Up
Not only did Lindsey Heaton '19 score double-digit points for the first time since the second and third games of the season, but the first-year point guard has upped her production across the board over the last four games. She netted 13 points in the contest at Stevens on January 30th – the second-highest total of her rookie season. In her last four games, the New Milford, CT, product has scored an average of 9.0 points per game in addition to 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Free throw success has also aided Heaton of late. Dating back to the January 19th win over Houghton College, she has made 10 consecutive foul shots.

Green Light for Green
Over her last six games, Emily Green '18 has seen her game grow exponentially, becoming EC's No. 2 scoring threat with an average of 10.5 points per contest. That includes a career-high 18 points in the win over Houghton College on January 19th. There is also a direct relationship between Green's scoring prowess and her three-point shooting. Not only is she averaging double figures in her last six games, but the Fredericksburg, VA, has made at least one trey in each of those contests, a season-long stretch. Over that six-game span, Green has gone 10-for-21 from beyond the arc, with a three-point field-goal percentage of 47.6, well above her season average (33.9-percent). On the defensive side of the ball, the 5-foot-7 guard has a steal in five consecutive games, including a pair of four-steal efforts against Houghton and Ithaca College.

Cleary Closing In
After a standout rookie season a year ago, Cleary's second season has certainly been anything but a sophomore slump. As she draws closer to the conclusion of the 2015-16 campaign, the go-to guard has her eyes on several of the program's all-time top-10 lists. With 325 points scored so far this season, the Rochester, NY, native needs only 30 more to match her freshman total, which currently stands as the 10th-most in a single season. She should have no problem surpassing that mark, as EC's leading scorer is averaging 17.1 points per game. Cleary has a team-high 33 three-pointers this season and 75 in her career, leaving her only 11 shy of moving into 10th-place all-time in career treys. In addition, the reigning E8 Rookie of the Year needs only two more successful free throws to leapfrog Alex Balara '15 (206) and take sole possession of sixth-place all-time in career made foul shots.

Series History vs. Utica
Elmira has won five of the last six matchups with the Pioneers, although Utica College does hold a slight 17-13 lead in the series since 2001-02. EC will be looking to sweep Utica this season after defeating the Pioneers 56-53 on January 15th.

Scouting Utica
Utica enters Friday's matchup tied for seventh in the conference with a 7-12 overall mark and 2-8 record in the E8. The Pioneers have lost eight of their last 10 games, with their only victories coming over last-place Alfred University (1-18, 0-10 E8). Utica beat the Saxons 75-59 before falling to St. John Fisher College last time out, 92-60. Utica's last three opponents have shot over 40.0-percent from the field and over 50.0-percent from three-point range in the last two games. Against the Cardinals, the Pioneers surrendered season-highs in threes (12) and three-point field-goal percentage (52.2-percent). On the season, Utica is last in the league in field-goal percentage (33.2) and field-goal percentage defense (41.8). The Pioneers have struggled from beyond the arc this season, as Utica has an E8-low 25.4 three-point shooting percentage.

Series History vs. Hartwick
The Hawks hold the lead in the all-time series, having won 47-of-58 meetings against the Purple and Gold. Hartwick has won two in a row over EC after the Soaring Eagles beat the Hawks 59-56 in the first round of the two-game series in the 2014-15 season.

Scouting Hartwick
After defeating EC 63-36 on January 16th, the Hawks dropped three consecutive games, but have since bounced back with consecutive wins over Utica College and Houghton College. The Hawks are near the bottom of the E8 in scoring, leading only Alfred University with a 54.4 per game scoring average. However, Hartwick has the second-best defense in the conference, limiting opponents to 56.2 points per contest. The Hawks have struggled on the boards, as Hartwick is last in the E8 in rebounds per game at 34.8. The team's leading scorer, senior forward Taylor Vonasek, has scored double figures in 16 of 18 games and enters the weekend ranked fifth in the E8 with 15.7 points per game. Hartwick faces Alfred on Friday, February 5th, before visiting Elmira on Saturday.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles host Houghton College in the 2015-16 regular-season home finale at Speidel Gymnasium at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9th.