ELMIRA, N.Y. – Elmira women's basketball played its third-consecutive home game on Thursday afternoon, facing off against the Saxons of Alfred University. After a closely contested first half that ended tied at 28, the Soaring Eagles took a 50-43 advantage going into the fourth quarter. However, the Saxons came back and forced overtime. From there, Elmira was able to hold off the visitors and claim the 69-67 victory.

Laura Bogota '25 led the Soaring Eagles in scoring with 21 points, while Nevaeh Winston '25 picked up 14 points and nine rebounds.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 69, Alfred 67 (OT)
LOCATION: Elmira, New York | Speidel Gymnasium
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (9-7, 4-5 E8), Alfred (7-10, 3-6 E8)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Bogota got Elmira started in the first with a made jump shot to tie the game at two. The Saxons scored the following four points of the game before a Taylor Jung '25 three-pointer and a Winston three-point play gave the Soaring Eagles an 8-6 lead with 6:19 left in the quarter. The Saxons would take a 14-12 lead later in the quarter before Winston hit a fast break layup to tie the game. No team scored after that point, and Elmira went into the second tied at 14.
• Both teams traded the first seven baskets to begin the second quarter, with Bogota and Mia Welty '26 hitting baskets from beyond the arc. A D'Asia Jones '25 jump shot and a pair of free throws made by Winston and Bogota helped Elmira tie the game at 28 entering the half.
• The Saxons scored on their first possession of the second half, taking a two-point lead before Bogota drained a three on the following possession. Bogota would score Elmira's first eight points of the quarter, knocking down two three-pointers and giving EC a 36-32 lead after 3:45 played. Alfred scored on the next possession to bring Elmira's lead down to two, but a 14-2 Soaring Eagles run led by a pair of Klunk threes gave them a commanding 50-36 lead with two minutes left in the quarter. However, the Saxons then went on a seven-point unanswered streak to end the quarter, trimming Elmira's lead to 50-43 entering the final ten minutes of regulation.
• The Saxons continued their momentum into the fourth quarter, going on a 15-3 run over the first 7:42 of the period and taking a 58-53 lead late in the game. A good Jung layup brought the deficit down to one possession for the Soaring Eagles, but three free throws on consecutive possessions brought Alfred's lead to six with 1:39 remaining. Winston answered with a layup to bring Elmira to within four. The Soaring Eagles forced the turnover on the next possession and had a chance to make it a one-score game in the final minute of regulation. Klunk made sure the Purple & Gold had a chance going into the last 30 seconds, drilling a three-pointer to make it a one-point deficit for the Soaring Eagles. The Saxons missed their two free throws at the other end, giving Elmira the chance to tie or take the lead on the next possession. After a missed layup, Jung ensured Elmira would have the opportunity to tie the game with one second on the clock after grabbing the offensive rebound and drawing a foul. Jung missed the first free throw but drained the second and tied the game at 61, sending Elmira to overtime against the Saxons.
• The Soaring Eagles started the overtime period with five unanswered points courtesy of Welty, taking a 66-61 lead with 3:40 left. However, Alfred responded with four unanswered points, bringing the Soaring Eagles lead to just one point. A good jump shot by Klunk gave Elmira some breathing room, but that was quickly taken away thanks to a pair of Saxons free throws to once again make it a one-point game with less than a minute remaining. Similar to the end of the fourth quarter, Jung was sent to the free throw line to help Elmira grow its lead down the stretch. Jung hit the first but missed the second, giving EC a 69-67 advantage with 50 seconds left. On the next possession, Elmira forced an Alfred turnover with 36 seconds to go. However, the Soaring Eagles would turn the ball over themselves and give Alfred possession with five seconds on the clock. Out of the timeout, the Soaring Eagles forced the missed three-pointer by Alfred and held on to win 69-67.
• The game featured eight ties and 11 lead changes during the 45 minutes of game time.
• EC outshot the Saxons 39% to 37% while going 9-21 from distance and 10-14 from the line.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles hit the road on Tuesday, January 30, and travel to Houghton University to take on the Highlanders at 5:30 p.m.