UTICA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball couldn't find its offensive footing on Friday evening, as the Soaring Eagles fell to Empire 8 Conference foe Utica on the road inside the Clark Athletic Center.

The Soaring Eagles (2-10, 0-2 E8) struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, as the Pioneers' (8-5, 1-1 E8) defense forced the Purple and Gold to go 14-for-60 (23.3%) from the floor. On the opposite end of the court, Utica fed off of its home-court advantage to the tune of a 53.6% shooting percentage from the floor and a 46.2% mark from beyond the arc. Turnovers loomed large for Elmira as well, as the Pioneers turned EC's miscues into 30 points.

E8 Rookie of the Week Taylor Johnson '23 led the way for Elmira with a team-high eight points. Alyssa Waters '22 and Taylor Albrecht '22 chipped in with six points apiece, while Lauren Franklin '21 pulled down a team-best seven rebounds. Nicolette Conkin did the majority of the damage for the home side with 28 points and a game-high eight assists.

EC stuck close to Utica in the opening quarter, as the Soaring Eagles took a narrow 6-5 lead off of a lay-in from Albrecht with just under three minutes to play. The Pioneers responded with 10 consecutive points to jump out to a 15-6 lead, but a bucket from Mykenzie Malacusky '23 and a 3-pointer from Johnson pulled EC back within four at, 15-11, to head into the second quarter.

Utica's offense came alive in the second frame, as Utica rattled off the first 14 points of the quarter to seize a commanding 29-11 lead. Waters eventually knocked down a jumper to halt the run, however, EC couldn't seize the momentum as Utica's Petrina Demarco answered with a shot from beyond the arc. Emily Breheny '20 added a late layup for the Purple and Gold, but Sydney Pryzgoda dropped in a bucket to give the Pioneers the final say heading into the halftime break.

EC found better luck scoring the ball in the third quarter, as the Soaring Eagles poured in a game-high 16 points during the stanza. Franklin scored all five of her points during the quarter and Albrecht added four points as Elmira attempted to chip away at Utica's lead. It was too little, too late, however, as the Pioneers kept their foot on the gas to close out the contest.

News and Notes

• Breheny tied her season-high with three steals.
• Johnson played a season-best 32 minutes.
• Johnson has scored five or more points in 10 contests this season.
• Waters reached the 30-minute plateau for the third consecutive game.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles continue Empire 8 play on the road on Saturday afternoon with a tilt against Sage. Tip-off against the Gators is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.