ELMIRA, N.Y. -- In the 2019-20 regular-season home finale on Pat Thompson '75 Court at Speidel Gymnasium, the Elmira College women's basketball team fell to first-place St. John Fisher College by a final score of 76-47.

The shorthanded Soaring Eagles (4-18, 2-9 E8), who were without two starters on Sunday evening, scored the first two points of the game on a Taylor Johnson '23 bucket three-and-a-half minutes into the opening quarter. However, Fisher (16-6, 9-2 E8) logged the next 10 points and held EC off of the scoreboard until Lauren Franklin '20 made a pair of foul shots at the 2:30 mark.

The Soaring Eagles recorded 16 points in the second quarter, tied with the fourth quarter for the most points in a period against the Cardinals, but Fisher poured in a combined 52 in the second and third quarters to put the game out of reach. SJFC shot 43.6% (24-of-55) from the floor and 82.1% (23-of-28) from the charity stripe. On the other hand, Elmira finished with a 28.3 field-goal percentage (15-of-53) and was only 13-of-21 from the line (61.9%).

Of the seven players to record a point, second-year guard Alyssa Waters '22 was the highlight of the contest. The Plattsburgh, New York, native tallied a game-high 20 points, her second game in a row and her ninth of the season in double figures. She finished just two points shy of her single-game career high, while adding three assists and one steal.

Franklin had seven points, a team-high four steals, three rebounds and two assists for the Purple and Gold. Johnson and Sarah Garner '20 each scored five points, with Garner doing so in a season-high 15 minutes of playing time off the bench. Senior Emily Breheny '20 led all Soaring Eagles with seven rebounds to go along with three points, two blocks, two steals, and one assist.

St. John Fisher had two record double-digit points, led by Miranda Lynch with 16 and Julia Mertsock with 10. Elmira was able to frustrate Fisher's leading scorer and rebounder, Ella Eckert, by holding the sophomore to nine points and four rebounds before fouling out.

News and Notes

• Elmira logged 11 steals, the team's sixth game of the season with 10-or-more steals.
• Waters led all scorers with 20 points, as she finished just two points shy of her personal record.
• Sunday's contest marked the 16th of Waters' career with double-digit points.
• Second-year guard Alicia Johnson '22 made her first career start and played a season-high 22 minutes against the Cardinals.
• Franklin has picked up at least one steal in 10 consecutive games with a combined 17 in her last four games.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will begin their three-game season-ending road stand on Friday, February 14, when the Elmira women travel to Alfred University for a 7:30 p.m. matchup.