ELMIRA, NY – The Elmira College women's basketball team put together a strong defensive performance, cruising to a 56-33 victory over SUNY Poly on Saturday afternoon at Speidel Gymnasium. The Soaring Eagles set the tone early, limiting the Wildcats to just three points in the second quarter and holding them to 33 total points. With the victory, the Soaring Eagles secured their third consecutive Empire 8 Tournament berth and will travel on the road for an opening round matchup next weekend.


JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 56, SUNY Poly 33
LOCATION: Speidel Gymnasium | Elmira, NY
RECORDS: Elmira (11-13, 5-10 Empire 8), SUNY Poly (5-19, 4-11 Empire 8)


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Elmira took control early, jumping out to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter behind Laura Bogota '25, who drilled three three-pointers on her way to a game-high 17 points. The Soaring Eagles' defense suffocated SUNY Poly in the second quarter, holding the Wildcats to just one made field goal, allowing Elmira to take a 30-11 lead into halftime.
• The Wildcats found some offensive rhythm in the third quarter, outscoring Elmira 16-15, but the Soaring Eagles never let their lead slip below double digits. Taylor Jung '25 (seven points, nine rebounds) helped control the glass, while Nevaeh Winston '25 added five points and 10 rebounds in a strong two-way performance.
• Elmira's bench also made a major impact, contributing 26 points, with Emma Ryan '28 (nine points, six rebounds) and Sophia Ward '27 (seven points) leading the second unit. The Soaring Eagles finished with 55 rebounds, out muscling SUNY Poly inside while forcing 26 turnovers.

UP NEXT: Elmira will look to build off this dominant performance as they wrap up their Empire 8 schedule at Keuka on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m.