Score: Hartwick College 74, Elmira College 53
Records: Hartwick (12-6, 8-1 E8), Elmira (6-11, 2-6 E8)
Location: Lambros Arena - Oneonta, NY

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- A late-game push by Lindsey Heaton '19 proved to not be enough, as the Elmira College women's basketball team fell to Empire 8 Conference foe Hartwick College, 74-53, on Saturday afternoon.

The Soaring Eagles struggled to start off the matchup with the Hawks, as they turned the ball over four times in the first 3:58 of the contest, and were held to just two points. Despite these early struggles, EC continued to battle and drew the first-quarter deficit to 16-8.

Elmira's ball handling troubles continued into the second after it committed seven more turnovers in the quarter, which gave EC 11 for the half. The Hawks took advantage of the Soaring Eagles' struggles by finishing the half with nine more shot attempts than EC. The difference in turnovers allowed Hartwick to take a 33-20 lead into the halftime break.

Notwithstanding of the team's difficulties, Rachel Vespucci '19 finished with a strong first half of play, with five points on 2-of-3 shooting from the floor and five rebounds.  

The game started to get away from the Soaring Eagles in the third, as Hartwick went on an 8-0 run that began at the 3:05 mark of the quarter with an Emily Stone layup. After the push, the hawks had grown their lead to 40-25. The run was finished by a Carly Johnson rebound and put-back that expand the Hartwick advantage to 23 points, 48-25.

Although they were facing 48-27 fourth-quarter deficit, the Soaring Eagles did not lose their effort, and they went on a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter. The surge was started by a Danielle Cleary '18 trey at the 8:17 mark of the quarter. That was followed 15 seconds later by a Heaton steal that resulted in a flagrant foul on Johnson. Heaton hit both free throws to cut the lead to 51-32.

The run was capped off by another Heaton steal that resulted in an Emily Green '18 jump shot that drew Elmira to within 11 points, 51-40.

Heaton was the main catalyst for EC's late push, as the sophomore guard scored 11 of her team-high 17 points in the final quarter. The New Milford, Connecticut, native also helped get her teammates involved in the fourth, by finishing the quarter with four assists.

Ultimately, this late run came up short, as the Hawks clung to their double-digit advantage for the rest of the contest.

Turning Point
At the start of the fourth quarter, Elmira faced a 48-27 deficit. Although the game seemed to be out of reach, EC continued to battle, as it went on a 13-0 run to cut the margin to just 11 points, 51-40. The rush was orchestrated by the exceptional play of Heaton, as she scored four points, recorded three assists and made three steals in the 1:51 surge. Despite this late run by the Soaring Eagles, the Hawks held strong and maintained their double-digit lead for the rest of the contest.  


Inside the Box Score

• Both teams found it difficult to find their shooting strokes, as Elmira went 17-for-53 (32.1%) from the floor and Hartwick shot 25-for-63 (39.7%) from the field.
• The Soaring Eagles did well from the charity stripe, hitting 14-of-18 (77.8%) attempts from the line.
• The Hawks still bested EC in this category, shooting 21-for-23 (91.3%) from the free throw line.
• Hartwick outrebounded Elmira, 45-31.
• Elmira completed the contest with 19 turnovers, while the Hawks finished with 14.
• The Soaring Eagles finished the matchup with 11 assists, compared to Hartwick's eight.
• Heaton filled up the stat sheet, as she led EC with 17 points and posted a game-high nine assists.
• Cleary almost posted a double-double with 13 points and seven rebounds.
• Vespucci also almost finished with a double-double, as she recorded 10 points and eight boards.
• Emily Green '18 rounded out Elmira's double-digit scorers with 11 points.
• Hartwick's Emily Stone led all scorers with a game-high 18 points.
• Jacqui Foreman and Johnson also posted strong outings, as the former scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds and the latter recorded 15 points and eight boards.

 
News and Notes

• With the loss today, Elmira's record fell to 6-11 overall and 2-6 in conference.
• EC's 31 rebounds are the third lowest that it has posted this season.
• Hartwick's 14 turnovers are the second-lowest total by a Soaring Eagles' opponent.
• Heaton's 17 points tied her season-high mark.
• Heaton recorded her ninth consecutive game with at least 10 points
• Heaton also set a new career high with nine helpers.
• The last Soaring Eagle to record nine assists was Marcia Coakley '09, when she did so on February 6, 2009, against Utica College.
• Vespucci has grabbed at least eight boards in eight-straight contests.
• Green's 11 points are the most that she has posted since she scored 17 against SUNY Geneseo on January 5th, of this year.

Up Next
Elmira returns home to play St. John Fisher College on Tuesday, January 31st. The bout between the Soaring Eagles and the Cardinals is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.