Score: Stevens Institute of Technology 83, Elmira College 71
Records: Stevens (11-8, 10-1 E8), Elmira (6-13, 2-8 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. - Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team overcame an early deficit and entered halftime with an eight-point lead over Stevens Institute of Technology, but a dismal second half allowed the Ducks to come from behind en route to an 83-71 victory over the Soaring Eagles on Friday night at Speidel Gymnasium.

After Stevens scored the first 10 points of the contest in the opening three minutes of action, the Soaring Eagles finished the first quarter on a 17-5 run. Danielle Cleary '18, who netted eight of EC's points during the rally, knotted the game at 13-all with a lay-in at the 2:08 mark. She gave the Purple and Gold their first lead of the night, 16-15, with a last-minute 3-pointer, before completing the quarter with a free throw to make it a 17-15 advantage.

Elmira carried the momentum into the second half against the Empire 8 Conference-leading Ducks, and pulled ahead by as many as 10 points. A steal and fast-break basket by Erica Guketlov allowed Stevens to come within one, 34-33, but 3-pointers from Cleary and Emily Green '18 fueled a 9-2 run to end the half, which gave the Soaring Eagles a 43-35 cushion.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Ducks flew out of the locker room after the intermission and outscored EC, 24-10, in the third quarter. Clinging to a seven-point advantage, 47-40, with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter, Elmira's offense went cold, and was held scoreless for the next three minutes. Megan Brown completed an and-one to give Stevens the lead, and Anna Toke followed with a jumper to put the Ducks up, 51-47. Cleary ended the drought with 3-pointer and sunk another trey to even the score at 53-53. On the other end of the floor, however, Toke converted a pair of free throws to give Stevens the lead for good.

Turning Point
Overall in the second half, Stevens outshot Elmira, 63.3-percent-to-21.9-percent, a margin that allowed the Ducks to complete the comeback with ease in the final 20 minutes. In the third quarter, the Soaring Eagles made just 3-of-17 field goals, all three of which were netted by Cleary. Although the lead wasn't out of reach heading into the fourth, the offensive struggled continued, as EC finished just 4-of-15 from the floor in the final quarter.

Inside the Box

• Elmira outscored Stevens, 43-35, in the first half, but was outscored in the second half, 48-28.
• EC finished with a 34.8 field goal percentage (24-for-69), while the Ducks were 35-for-62 from the field (56.5 percent).
• Both teams collected 42 rebounds.
• The Soaring Eagles performed better at the foul line, making 18-of-26 attempts, as compared to 11-of-20 by the Ducks.
• Stevens had nine steals and five blocks, but Elmira had just two steals and no blocked shots.
• Cleary paced all scorers with a game-high 27 points.
• Rachel Vespucci '19 recorded a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
• Green scored 13 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
• Kaitlyn Astel and Toke netted 25 and 23 points, respectively, for Stevens.
• Brown finished with 16 points, and game highs with 16 rebounds and three blocks.

News and Notes

• Elmira is now 6-13 this season and 2-8 against Empire 8 competition.
• Despite the loss, 71 points are the second-most scored by the Soaring Eagles in a game this season.
• Cleary scored a season-high 27 points, while tying her season highs with nine field goals and four 3-pointers.
• Vespucci's double-double was her 10th of the season.
• Vespucci is just one double-double of the 11 recorded by Jennifer Park '06 during her run to the 2003-04 Empire 8 Player of the Year Award.
• Green scored double-digit points for the seventh time this season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will complete a busy weekend of action during Elmira's 35th Annual Athletics Alumni Weekend on Saturday, February 4th, with a 2:00 p.m. conference bout with the Highlanders of Houghton College. The team will recognize its lone senior, Marissa Silverman '17, in a special pregame ceremony, as part of Class of 2017 Recognition Day.