Score: St. John Fisher College 85 – Elmira College 71
Records: Fisher (12-11, 9-5 E8), Elmira (7-17, 3-12 E8)
Location: Manning & Napier Varsity Gymnasium – Rochester, N.Y.
 
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team was thwarted by a strong third quarter from St. John Fisher College, as it fell to the Cardinals by a final score of 85-71 on Wednesday evening in Rochester, New York.

The Cardinals got off to a quick start in the first quarter, surging out to a 12-3 advantage 4:11 into the contest. Elmira's offense finally got going in the next 2:51, as it went on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to 16-13. The programs traded buckets for the remainder of the period on their way to a 23-20 first-quarter score.

The teams continued to battle in the second, as they fought to a 29-all tie 3:11 into the quarter. Fisher started to pull away in the next 2:05 with a 7-0 run to take a 36-29 lead. Elmira did not let the contest out of its hands, as Danielle Cleary '18 made a 3-pointer from the left side of the arc with 1:18 remaining which resulted in a Cardinals' foul. Cleary stepped to the line and hit the free throw to finish the four-point play which drew the margin back to just four points, 42-38.

The theme of the first half was hot shooting, as both teams finished the stanza shooting above 50.0 percent from the field. This offensive outburst resulted in a 47-40 Fisher lead going into the halftime break. This fast-paced half also allowed EC to finish with two double-digit scorers, as Cleary posted 12 points and Emily Green '18 scored 10.

The game started to get away from Elmira in the third period, with the Cardinals' lead growing to 17 points after their 10-0 rush to start the quarter. The Soaring Eagles did not score their first points of the third until Green sank a jumper 4:31 into the half. The EC margin grew to as high as 20 points, 64-44, after a Chelsea Repard layup at the 3:18 mark.

Elmira fought back at the end of the third and the start of the fourth, as it went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 12 points, 66-54, 10 seconds into the final quarter. Lauren Franklin '20 sparked the surge with four of the six points in the span.

The fourth quarter mirrored the third, as the Soaring Eagles would not get any closer than 12 points for the rest of the game. Fisher maintained at least a 15-point advantage for most of the quarter, as they cruised to the conference victory.  
 
Turning Point
Entering the third quarter, Elmira faced just a seven-point hole, 47-40, after a fast-paced high-scoring first half. The Soaring Eagles held toe-to-toe with Fisher, as both teams finished the stanza with field goal percentages higher than 50.0 percent. The game started to swing in the Cardinals' favor, as they stormed out to a 10-0 run to start the quarter, which gave them a 17-point cushion, 57-40. EC's biggest problem in that span was its turnover, committing five in the first 4:05 of the period. Elmira's ball-control issues swung the contest towards Fisher, as the Soaring Eagles finished the contest with twice as many turnover as the Cardinals (24-12).
 
Inside the Box Score

• Both teams shot the ball well in the contest, as Elmira went 24-for-56 (42.9%) from the field.
• Fisher slightly bested the Soaring Eagles, shooting 32-for-71 (45.1%) from the floor.
• For the second night in a row, EC did a good job of getting to the line, going 19-for-27 (70.4%) from the stripe.
• The Cardinals also had their chances from the charity stripe, as they finished 16-for-23 (69.6%).
• Elmira finished the game with a 40-36 advantage in rebounds.
• The Cardinals did a good job controlling the basketball, as they finished with 12 turnovers, while EC ended the contest with 24.
• Cleary paced the Soaring Eagles with a team-high 20 points.
• She was closely followed by Rachel Vespucci '19 (19) and Green (15).
• Cleary posted a full stat line, as she added seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals to her 20 points.   
• Vespucci posted a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 12 boards.
• Repard led all scorers with a game-high 21 points.

 
News and Notes

• EC's record falls to 7-17 overall and 3-12 in conference play on the season.
• The Soaring Eagles' 42.9 field goal percentage is their second-highest of the season, trailing its 44.3 mark from their 82-59 win over Gallaudet University on November 27th.
• After posting back-to-back games with 15-or-fewer turnovers on February 3rd and 4th, Elmira has committed at 22 or more in its last four games.
• With 12 boards, Vespucci moved into sixth-place on EC's list of most rebounds in a single season with 258, passing Katy Knox '85 (250) from her senior campaign.
• With her double-double, Vespucci became the first Soaring Eagle in the past 15 seasons to record 12 in a year.
• Cleary posted her ninth 20-point outing of the season.
• With 19 points, Cleary (1,137) needs just five more points to pass Kourtney Troutman '08 (1,141) to move into fourth-place on Elmira's list of all-time leading scorers.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will conclude their 2016-17 season with a 2:00 p.m. bout against Empire 8 Conference rival Utica College on Saturday, February 18th, at the Pioneers' Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.