Score: Elmira College 66, Nazareth College 62
Records: Elmira (10-6, 2-5 E8), Nazareth (7-9, 3-4 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team overcame a few late-game miscues and a fourth-quarter rally by the visiting Golden Flyers to secure a wild 66-62 victory over Nazareth College in Empire 8 Conference action at Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

The win is the second in a row for the Soaring Eagles, who improved to 10-6 overall and 2-5 in league play, and it came in dramatic fashion. Emily Green '18 nailed a 3-point field goal to give EC a 27-24 advantage at halftime and EC held onto the lead until for the majority of the second half. However, the Golden Flyers came to life late and sparked a heart-pounding finish.

Naz turned a nine-point deficit into a four-point lead, 62-58, with a 12-3 run that was capped off when Lizzie Straub intercepted a Lindsey Heaton '19 pass and went coast-to-coast with 1:44 to play. After Heaton made it a one-possession game by sinking one of her two foul shots, the Golden Flyers committed fatal turnovers on their next two possessions, which allowed the Soaring Eagles to regain the lead for good.  Following a turnover by Samantha Peebles on a traveling violation, Green converted an and-one to level the score at 62-all with 44 ticks left on the clock.

Although a bad pass into the post from Kristen Simmons gave the ball back the EC, Danielle Cleary '18 was unable to find an open target on the inbounding play and was charged with a five-second violation. The infraction appeared to swing momentum back in Nazareth's favor, but only momentarily, as Green wrestled the ball from Simmons at the top of the arc. With a two-on-one rush up the court, Heaton found Lauren Franklin '20 under the basket, and the second-year forward deposited what proved to be the game-winning layup with a mere 5.8 seconds left. Heaton made two more free throws with four seconds to play for much-needed insurance before the final whistle.

Four Soaring Eagles scored double-digit points, led by Green, who paced Elmira with 19 points. Heaton tallied 16 points and hauled in nine rebounds. Cleary and Franklin both scored 12 points, while Franklin added 10 boards for the game's only double-double. Nazareth was led by Rachel Benedict and Peebles, who recorded 26 and 20 points, respectively, which accounted for over 74-percent of the Golden Flyers' offense.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Shannon Howley when asked about Elmira's ability to rise to the challenge late in the fourth quarter...
"I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness. We have been in these situations a lot and tonight we made plays. I am really proud of them."

Coach Howley discusses what the Soaring Eagles did well to grab a second-half lead and what the team could have done better to prevent the late rally by Nazareth...
"I think we did a great job on the boards and from the free throw line in the second half. We knew they would make a run and we just need to do a little better job when they try to speed us up. We took some quick shots, and when we didn't make them, they converted on the other end."

Coach Howley on winning back-to-back Empire 8 games after a tough start to the conference schedule...
"We know we can compete with any team in our conference. Aside from one game, our losses were one possession games late into the fourth quarter. We just need to finish like we did tonight."

News and Notes

• Elmira has won back-to-back Empire 8 contests, improving to 10-6 overall.
• The Soaring Eagles have reached double-digit wins for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign (10-15).
• EC snapped a six-game skid against Nazareth with its first win over the Golden Flyers since the 2013-14 season.
• Green has logged double-digit points in four consecutive games.
• Green's three steals mark a single-game season-high.
• Heaton has scored in double figures on seven occasions in her junior campaign.
• With four assists against the Golden Flyers, Heaton moved into third-place all-time in program history with 254 career assists, surpassing Erin Eaton '05 (251) and Mary Carole Starke '83 (251).
• Franklin's double-double is her second of the year.

Up Next
Elmira will conclude its three-game homestand on Thursday, January 25, when the Soaring Eagles host the Hawks of Hartwick College at Speidel Gymnasium at 8:00 p.m.