Elmira at Pennsylvania College of Technology
Game Details	Monday, Nov. 27 | Williamsport, Pa. | 6:00 p.m.
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team will look to extend its three-game winning streak tonight in a non-conference tilt against the Wildcats of the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Bardo Gymnasium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles won the Max Ziel Tournament Championship on Saturday, November 18, after besting the host Oswego State Lakers by a 53-40 final score. The victory was EC's third straight to start the season, the team's best start in 19 years. The Purple and Gold used a dominant first-half performance to build an insurmountable advantage over their non-conference foes. In the opening half, the Soaring Eagles held Oswego State to a 16.1 field-goal percentage (5-for-31), which allowed Elmira to take an overwhelming 18-point lead, 30-12, into the halftime break. Individually, Danielle Cleary '18 scored a game-high 15 points on her way to being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. EC also received a strong two-way performance from Lauren Franklin '20, who posted her first double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds. With eight points and eight rebounds in the title game, Rachel Vespucci '19 joined Cleary on the All-Tournament Team.
 
BEGINNING WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
In three games this season, Vespucci is living up to the lofty expectations that she created for herself following her impressive sophomore campaign. In the process of guiding the Soaring Eagles to their fantastic start to the year, Vespucci is the lone player in the Empire 8 Conference to average a double-double. Through the first week of the season, The Macedon, New York, native is has posted a team-high-tying 12.3 points and a league-leading 10.7 rebounds per game. Vespucci has also started to improve some other aspects of her game. Through three games, the 5-foot-9-inch forward is shooting 76.5 percent (13-for-17) from the free-throw line, 17.8 percent better than her free-throw percentage from a year ago. At the Max Ziel Tournament, Vespucci averaged 11.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game to be named to the All-Tournament Team. In recognition of her performance at the event, Vespucci was also crowned the E8 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week.
 
SCOUTING PENN COLLEGE
The Wildcats enter today's contest as losers of three straight following their season-opening victory over Thiel College on Wednesday, November 15. The most recent game in the losing streak was an 88-35 setback on the road against Lycoming College on Tuesday, November 21. The Wildcats' recent skid is due to their struggles on the offensive end of the court, as they rank second to last in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) in points per game (44.3). This inability to score can be traced to Penn College's shooting woes to start the year, as it owns a 25.2 field-goal percentage and a 23.6 clip from behind the 3-point arc, both of which rank next to last in the league. Despite these struggles, the Wildcats have a few players performing well to start the season, including senior guard Gwendolyn Lavelle, who paces the team in both points (11.8) and minutes played (35.8) per game. Freshman guard Tori Wolfe is also doing well to start the year, as she leads the team in rebounds (7.5) per game, while also ranking third in points (9.8).
 
SERIES HISTORY
Today's bout marks the 11th all-time meeting between the Soaring Eagles and the Wildcats, a series in which EC is a perfect 10-0. In last season's tilt, Elmira put on a defensive clinic, holding Penn College to just 23 points, the fewest allowed by the Purple and Gold since the 1985-86 campaign, on their way to the 65-23 victory. The Soaring Eagles last played in Williamsport in the 2015-16 season, when they bested the Wildcats by an 82-47 final score.   
 
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will return to the court on Thursday, November 30, when they head to Cortland, New York, to challenge non-conference rival SUNY Cortland. The bout is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium.