Score: Elmira College 74, Hartwick College 70
Records: Elmira (12-8, 4-7 E8), Hartwick (5-16, 4-8 E8)
Location: Oneonta, N.Y. -- Lambros Arena
 
ONEONTA, N.Y. -- A season-best shooting performance by the Elmira College women's basketball team propelled the Soaring Eagles past Hartwick College by a 74-70 final score in Empire 8 Conference Action at the Lambros Arena in Oneonta, New York.

The Soaring Eagles were led in tonight's contest by a stellar performance from Danielle Cleary '18, who scored a team-high 22 points, in addition to hauling in seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Juniors Lindsey Heaton '19 and Sally Hogan '19 also had strong showings, as Heaton tallied 14 points, three rebounds and three assists and Hogan recorded 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. In the post, Rachel Vespucci '19 led all players with eight rebounds on the evening.

The difference in tonight's contest came down to shooting, as EC went 26-for-46 (56.5 percent) from the floor, while the Hawks shot 26-for-66 (39.4 percent). Elmira also owned sizable advantages over Hartwick in rebounds (39-to-29) and assists (15-10).

A strong defensive performance by EC in the first half helped the Soaring Eagles secure a 28-23 leading heading into the locker rooms for halftime. In the opening 20 minutes, Elmira's smothering defense held the Hawks to just 33.3 percent shooting (10-for-30) from the floor, which included Hartwick's seven-point second quarter.

The game really started to swing into EC's favor in the third quarter, as its five-point halftime lead grew to 10, 52-42, heading into the fourth. The quarter was highlighted by a 9-0 Elmira push that began at the 7:42 mark with an Emily Green '18 jump shot. The surge ended with a Lauren Franklin '20 steal and layup that gave the Purple and Gold their first double-digit advantage of the contest, 39-29.

In the fourth quarter, Elmira turned to Cleary to help keep the game out of Hartwick's reach. The senior scored 11 of her 16 second-half points in the fourth, which included critical late-game free throws that sealed the conference victory for EC.
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Shannon Howley on Tuesday's victory over Hartwick…
"We were really good on the defensive end of the court, especially in the first half. We rebounded on both ends and I thought we attacked offensively for 40 minutes."
 
Coach Howley shares her thoughts on the team's season-best 56.5 field-goal percentage…
"I think we moved the ball really well, inside and out. We stayed aggressive all night by attacking the paint."

Coach Howley talks about the team's mindset heading into Thursday's contest against Nazareth…
"I hope we carry the same attitude and confidence into the Naz game. It will be another tough road game, so we will have to compete for the whole 40 minutes."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 12-8 overall and 4-7 against Empire 8 opponents.
• EC's 56.5 field-goal percentage (26-for-46) is the best by the team all season.
• The Soaring Eagles have not shot that well since January 7, 2014, when they went 32-for-56 (57.1 percent) in an 81-55 victory over Cazenovia College.
• The Purple and Gold also shot a season-high 46.7 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
• Hartwick's 29 rebounds tonight are tied for the second-lowest total an EC opponent has posted this year.
• With 1,449 career points, Cleary is just eight shy of tying Mary Kay Babcock '82 (1,457) for the second-most in program history.
• Cleary's 22 points are tied for the second-highest scoring output of her senior season.
• Cleary has reached the 20-point plateau a team-high six times this season.
• With 10 points tonight, Green has posted double-digit points in eight consecutive games.
• Heaton has tallied 10-or-more points in five of Elmira's last six contests.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action on Thursday, February 8, with a road tilt against Nazareth College. The Soaring Eagles and Golden Flyers are scheduled to take flight at 8:00 p.m. at the Kidera Gymnasium in Rochester, New York.