Elmira at Alfred
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 27 | Alfred, N.Y. | 4:00 p.m.
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team heads to Alfred, New York, on Saturday, January 27, to challenge the Saxons of Alfred University to an Empire 8 Conference bout at the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena. Tip-off for the league bout is slated for 4:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles had their two-game home conference win streak snapped by Hartwick on Thursday, when EC fell to the Hawks by a 67-57 final score. A stellar first-half defensive performance, which held the Hawks to 10-for-32 (31.3 percent) shooting from the floor, helped guide the Purple and Gold to a 28-25 lead heading into the halftime break. In the second half, Hartwick started to find its groove, as a 23-13 third quarter that went in the Hawks' favor gave the road team a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. The Soaring Eagles were led by a solid performance from Lindsey Heaton '19, who scored a team-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Danielle Cleary '18 was not far behind, as she chipped in 16 points and five boards. Lauren Franklin '20 was all over the court, as she ended the night with eight points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
 
MAKING HISTORY
With four fantastic seasons donning the Purple and Gold, Cleary has started to ascend the program record books in a few categories. In Thursday's tilt, Cleary broke a two-way tie with Martha Bolduc '97 (429) to become Elmira third-ranked player in career field goals made with 433. The Rochester, New York, native is also very close to becoming EC's all-time free-throw leader, as her 362 career makes are just four shy of former All-American Jessica Zoltowski '14 (366) for the most in program history. In addition, Cleary (548) is just 11 boards shy of Erin Rupell '11 (559) for seventh-place among the Soaring Eagles' all-time rebounders. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
Elmira and Alfred have met 56 times prior to tomorrow's tilt, with the Soaring Eagles owning a 37-19 lead over their conference foe. The Purple and Gold enter today's bout as winners of 11 consecutive games in the series, a streak that dates back to the 2012-13 campaign. EC added to its lead over the Saxons with a 76-71 victory at Speidel Gymnasium on January 16.
 
SCOUTING ALFRED
Not much has changed for the Saxons since these two teams clashed earlier this season. With losses in its two subsequent games on Friday and Saturday, January 19-20, against The Sage Colleges (75-59) and Utica (57-51), Alfred has dropped nine consecutive contests. The Saxons have not been able to get a handle on either the offensive or defensive ends of the court, as they rank last in the E8 in both scoring offense (54.8 ppg) and scoring defense (72.6 ppg). As the team's lone player averaging double-digit points, sophomore guard Jamie Wilcox has had to carry most of the offensive responsibilities this season. The Forestville, New York, native's team-leading 14.9 points per game ranks fifth in the conference. Another key component of the Saxon offense is the passing ability of Katlyn Boland, who is averaging 3.9 assists per game, which is tied for the fifth-most in the league.
 
UP NEXT
The Purple and Gold will continue E8 play on Saturday, February 3, when EC hosts The Sage Colleges for a conference clash at the Murray Athletic Center as part of the 36th Annual Elmira College Athletics Alumni Weekend. Tip-off between the Soaring Eagles and Gators is slated for 4:00 p.m.