Score: St. John Fisher College 73, Elmira College 67
Records: St. John Fisher (6-4, 2-0 E8), Elmira (8-3, 0-2 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- For the first time this season the Elmira College women's basketball team has lost back-to-back contests, as the Soaring Eagles were clipped by St. John Fisher College, 73-67, in Empire 8 Conference action on Thursday night inside Speidel Gymnasium.

The Soaring Eagles opened the first quarter by taking their largest lead of the game. Emily Green '18 netted the first of her career-high-tying five 3-pointers to kick off a 10-2 run and then ended the spurt with five unanswered points to extend EC's early advantage to 12-5. The Cardinals, however, ended the quarter on a 10-2 run of their own and took a seven-point lead into the halftime break, 35-28. Fisher pushed the margin to double-digits early in the third quarter, thanks to an and-one from Sydney Masna, a trey off the fingertips of Alex Reigle, and back-to-back fast-break lay-ins by Erin Hulbert.

Trailing by 14 at 50-36 midway through the third quarter, Elmira began to mount a comeback with a barrage of 3-pointers. Danielle Cleary '18 drained a pair of treys to whittle the deficit down to single digits and Lindsey Heaton '19 buried a buzzer-beater that brought EC within four points, 55-51, heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation. The duo then opened the fourth with one 3-point field goal apiece. At the 5:53 mark of the period, Rachel Vespucci '19 deposited a basket that put the Soaring Eagles ahead 61-60, their first leading since owning a 20-19 advantage in the second quarter.

Although the momentum appeared to swing in Elmira's favor, the Purple and Gold took a hit when Lauren Franklin '20 was forced to exit the game with a head injury after battling for a free ball in the offensive zone. Franklin was assessed with a foul on the play and Fisher took the lead for good on the ensuing possession.

The Cardinals held EC to just five points for the remaining four-plus minutes. Down 68-60 with 45 ticks left on the clock, St. John Fisher made a key play by picking off an entry pass from Cleary that was intended for Green. Although Green made her fifth and final 3-pointer seven seconds later, the lead proved to be too much to overcome in the waning moments.

In addition to Green's game-high 21 points, Cleary and Heaton both reached double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Four Cardinals posted double-digit point totals and three finished with double-doubles, including Caroline Robertson, who tallied a team-high 20 points with 10 rebounds.

News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles fell to 8-3 overall and 0-2 inside Empire 8 play, while the Cardinals improved to 6-4 and 2-0 against league opponents.
• The loss ended a four-game home win streak for EC that dated back to the end of the 2016-17 season.
• Elmira tied its season high with 10 3-point buckets this evening.
• The Soaring Eagles have made three-or-more blocks in four consecutive games.
• Cleary moved into second place in EC history for free-throw makes (343).
• Cleary also moved into fourth place all-time in program history in 3-point baskets (155).
• With nine rebounds this evening, Cleary cracked the program's top-10 list for career rebounds (516).
• Green's 21 points were a season high for the senior sharpshooter.
• Green's eight field goal makes, as well as her five 3-point field goals, tied her career-best performances.
• Heaton has produced double-digit points in three straight games.

Up Next
The EC women will continue conference competition with their first matchup against the E8's newest member, the Gators of The Sage Colleges. The Soaring Eagles will travel to Albany, New York, to face Sage on Saturday, January 6, at 4:00 p.m.