ALBANY, N.Y. – The Soaring Eagles traveled to the capitol region on Friday afternoon for a showdown against the Gators of Russell Sage College. After holding a 15-14 lead with two and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter, Elmira could not continue its offensive momentum and, despite scoring 23 points in the final quarter, dropped its matchup against the Gators 67-51.

Laura Bogota '25 led EC in scoring with 12 points, while Nevaeh Winston '25 had eight points to go along with 11 rebounds and five steals.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 51, Russell Sage 67
LOCATION: Albany, New York | Kahl Campus Center
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (6-6, 1-4 E8), Russell Sage (4-10, 2-3 E8)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A competitive start saw seven lead changes in the game's first eight minutes, with Bogota scoring nine points, including two from behind the arc for the Soaring Eagles, to help them to a 15-14 lead with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter. However, the Gators ended the half by scoring eight unanswered points to take a 22-15 lead into the break.
• A three-pointer by Alleney Klunk '24 cut the deficit to four at the 7:13 mark of the second quarter. After a pair of Gator free throws, Bogota followed suit with a three-ball of her own to make it a 24-21 game with 6:25 left in the half. That was all the offense the Soaring Eagles could find in the quarter, and this time, the Gators closed out the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 35-21 lead into halftime.
• Taylor Jung '25 got things started for the Purple & Gold in the third quarter, knocking down a three just seven seconds into the period. However, Elmira would not score again until 1:39 left in the third when a D'Asia Jones '25 jump shot ended a ten-point unanswered run by the hosts. Two more points courtesy of a Jung jump shot gave Elmira the final points of the quarter, but it still trailed 49-28 entering the final ten minutes of play.
• Despite outscoring Russell Sage 23-18 in the final quarter, the deficit was too much to overcome for the Soaring Eagles, and they fell by a final score of 67-51.
• Elmira shot 35% from behind the arc during the game, making eight three-pointers in the contest. However, they were held to a field goal percentage of just 30% while going 7-16 from the free throw line. The Soaring Eagles also forced turnovers during the game, recording 11 steals to only five for Russell Sage. Winston's five steals led the team, while Bogota finished second in the category with three.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles continue their road trip and travel to Hartwick College on Saturday, January 13, for a matchup against the Hawks at 2:00 p.m.