ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team will travel up Route 13 for a rematch against Ithaca College on Tuesday, February 7th. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. at the Bombers' Ben Light Gymnasium.

LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles fell to Houghton College, 65-44, at Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday. EC got out of the gates quickly, going up 10-4 in the first four minutes of the contest. Fittingly, Marissa Silverman '17 started the Elmira run with two free throws, as Saturday was Class of 2017 Recognition Day. The Highlanders fought back and took their own 14-12 advantage. EC retook the lead with a Rachel Vespucci '19 put-back that put it up 20-18 at the 6:44 mark of the second.  The Soaring Eagles continued to battle in the first half, taking the lead on several occasions, before the Highlanders took it for good with 3:35 remaining in the second quarter. The second half was a different story, as Elmira was unable to pull within five points. Vespucci led the way for EC with team highs in both points (12) and rebounds (10). Danielle Cleary '18 and Lindsey Heaton '19 finished next for the Soaring Eagles with matching eight-point outputs.

VESPUCCI CHASES HISTORY: With 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Highlanders, Vespucci joined elite company, as she became the second Soaring Eagle in the last 15 years to post 11 double-doubles in a single season. The last EC player to accomplish this feat was Jennifer Parker '06, who did so in her run to the 2003-04 Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year Award. Vespucci has five more games to become the lone Soaring Eagle to break Parker's record and is on the verge of becoming the first Elmira player in that span to average a double-double for an entire season.

SCOUTING ITHACA: The Bombers enter tomorrow's matchup riding a season-long seven-game win streak, which improved their record to 18-3 overall and 10-2 in conference. The seven-game stretch, which started on January 19th, includes wins over conference stalwarts Stevens Institute of Technology (11-9, 10-2 E8) and St. John Fisher College (10-10, 7-4 E8). The Bombers have been dominant in all facets of the game this season, as their offense paces the E8 with 72.0 points per game and maintains a conference best 41.1 field goal percentage. Defensively, they limit their opponents to a conference-low 56.4 points per game. The Bombers' scoring is spread evenly throughout their roster, as their conference-leading offense has no players in the top 18 of the E8's leading scorers. Senior forward Erin Ferguson paces the group with 10.6 points per game, followed by Ali Ricchiuti and Jordan Beers, who both average 10.5 points per game. Ferguson has been Ithaca's most efficient player with a team-leading 55.3 field goal percentage.  

SERIES HISTORY: Tuesday's matchup between Elmira and Ithaca marks the 60th meeting between the two programs. The Bombers own a 48-11 lead in the all-time series and have dominated of late, winning 18 consecutive contests against the Soaring Eagles, a streak that dates back to the 2007-08 season. EC's last victory against Ithaca came on January 22, 2008, at Speidel Gymnasium by a final score of 55-35. Elmira is looking to avenge its 98-54 loss to the Bombers from January 21st, its largest margin of defeat of the year.  

UP NEXT: Elmira will continue its two-game road trip on Thursday, February 9th, when it takes a drive to Rochester, New York, to face Nazareth College. The Empire 8 matchup is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.