Elmira at Wells College
Game Details	Sunday, Dec. 3 | Aurora, N.Y. | 1:00 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live State: Stats Link
Wells Links	Roster | Schedule | Stats

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team will head to Aurora, New York, on Sunday, December 3, looking to extend its five-game win streak to start the season in a bout against Wells College. The non-league showdown is scheduled to take place at 1:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles topped the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland on Thursday evening by an 82-77 final score. EC posted its best offensive showing of the year against Cortland, as the Purple and Gold tallied single-game season highs in points (82), field goals (25) and 3-point field goals (10). Elmira was fueled by a career performance by junior forward Sally Hogan '19, who recorded new career highs in both points (24) and rebounds (12). The West Rutland, Vermont, native's double-double is the first of her career. The senior duo of Danielle Cleary '18 and Emily Green '18 helped carry much of the offensive load against the Red Dragons, as the former scored 20 points and the latter posted 17.  

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE
With Thursday's victory against Cortland, the Soaring Eagles have stared the 2017-18 campaign with five-straight wins, their longest win streak since the 2013-14 season. In that year, Elmira won 11 of its first 13 games. The Purple and Gold have not opened a season 5-0 since 1997-98 and have not begun 6-0 in the past 36 years.

CLEANING THE GLASS
EC continued its fantastic play in the post in the win over SUNY Cortland. In the bout, both Hogan and Lindsey Heaton '19 recorded career-best rebound outings, as the former posted 12 and the latter tallied 10. Through five games, Elmira has hauled in 50-plus rebounds three times and have out-rebounded four of its five opponents. The Soaring Eagles' conference-best 48.4 rebounds per game average ranks 31st in all of Division III. Leading this performance on the boards has been junior forward Rachel Vespucci '19, who paces the Empire 8 Conference in rebounds per game (10.4). Joining Vespucci in the top 10 on the E8 rebounds per game leaderboard is Lauren Franklin '20 (7.2) and Cleary (6.4), who rank ninth and 10th, respectively. 

SCOUTING WELLS
Through five games this year, the Express are 1-4. Wells' lone win of the season came against D'Youville, 66-58, on Monday, November 20. In their most recent bout on Wednesday, the Express stumbled in non-conference action against Medaille and lost by a 67-46 final score. Wells' inability to limit turnovers has been its main detriment, as it ranks second to last in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) in turnovers per game (26.4). Despite these struggles, the Express have had some bright spots this season. Leading the way has been junior forward Carley Ryan, who paces the team in both points (13.6) and steals (3.6) per game, the latter of which is tied for 45th nationally. On the boards, senior forward Kamarie Maturine leads the team with 9.4 rebounds per game, which is tied for eighth in the NEAC.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's matchup marks the seventh all-time meeting between the Soaring Eagles and the Express. After dropping the first-ever contest between these two programs, EC has won the last five, which gives it a 5-1 record against Wells. The Soaring Eagles bested the Express by a 69-50 final score in last season's home bout, a game in which Cleary reached 1,000 career points. Elmira last topped Wells in Aurora in the 2012-13 campaign, when the Purple and Gold secured a 70-47 victory.

UP NEXT
The EC women will return to its home court inside Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 5, with a non-league contest against Clarks Summit University. Tip-off is slated to take place at 6:00 p.m.