Score: Utica College 56 – Elmira College 44
Records: Utica (12-11, 9-5 E8), Elmira (7-18, 3-13 E8)
Location: Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium – Utica, N.Y.
 
UTICA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team fell to Empire 8 Conference foe Utica College by a final score of 56-44 on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's contest marks the end of the 2016-17 season for the Soaring Eagles.

EC started the game off strong, surging out to an early 7-2 lead to start the contest. An Emily Green '18 trey at the 7:16 mark of the first ended the run. A Rachel Vespucci '19 layup with 2:21 remaining in the quarter gave Elmira its largest advantage of the game, seven points, 13-6.

The Pioneers started to battle back in the second quarter, taking the lead 2:49 into the quarter on an Ashley Mayo jumper, 16-15. The teams traded the advantage for most of the period, with Utica taking a slim 24-23 lead into the halftime break.

The contest continued to stay close in the third quarter, as a Danielle Cleary '18 3-pointer drew the contest at 34-all with 4:28 remaining in the period. Vespucci also tied the contest at 40-all 2:37 later.

Unfortunately for Elmira, it was only able to score four points in the fourth quarter. This inability to score, allowed the Pioneers to surge ahead and take the 12-point victory, 56-44.
 
Turning Point
The Soaring Eagles and Utica entered the fourth quarter with just a five-point difference between them, 45-40. Elmira had an answer for all of the Pioneers' runs. In the fourth, however, EC struggled to get any offensive attack, as it went 1-for-11 from the floor in the period and finished with just four points. Utica on the other hand, finished with 11, which gave them the cushion it needed to secure the victory.  

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira struggled shooting the ball in the contest, as it went 18-for-61(29.5%) from the floor.
• The Pioneers did not fare much better, shooting 23-for-65 (35.4%) from the field.
• After two straight games with a healthy amount of foul shots, EC finished with just two on Saturday, making both of them.
• Elmira finished with double the number of Utica's turnovers, 20-10.
• The Soaring Eagles finished with slightly more assists that the Pioneers, 12-11.
• Utica out-rebounded EC, 44-42.
• Cleary led all scorers with a game-high 13 points.
• Vespucci rounded out the Soaring Eagles' double-digit scorers with 10 points.
• Vespucci also grabbed 15 rebounds in the contest to record the 13th double-double of her season.
• Lindsey Heaton '19 also posted a strong stat line with seven points and six assists.
• Ashley Mayo posted the lone double-double for the Pioneers with 10 points and 10 boards.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira concluded the season with a 7-18 overall record and a 3-13 standing in the conference.
• With 15 boards Vespucci (273) climbed to No. 4 on EC's list of single-season rebounds leaders, passing Mary Kay Babcock '82 (261) and Sheila Aber '87 (264) in the process.
• Vespucci also became the first Soaring Eagle in the last 15 seasons to post 13 double-doubles and to average a double-double for an entire season (12.3 ppg and 10.9 rpg).
• Her 10.9 boards per game are the ninth-highest average on Elmira's list of rebounds per game leaders in a single season.
• With 13 points today, Cleary has 1,150 in her collegiate career, which puts her fourth on EC's all-time scorer's leaderboard.
• Cleary also moved into eighth place on the Soaring Eagles' single-season leading-scorers list with 392 points.
• Heaton's six assists move her into third place on Elmira's list of single-season assists leaders with 109.