ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Elmira College women's basketball team hosted Russell Sage College inside Speidel Gymnasium Saturday afternoon for their second Empire 8 conference matchup of the weekend. An offensive burst in the second and fourth quarter ultimately sealed the 74-54 victory for the Soaring Eagles and saw them hand Sage their first conference loss of the season. 

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Elmira opened the game with back-to-back buckets from Kelsey Stewart and Amarionah Dixon for an early lead. Three consecutive layups from Dixon continued to push the Soaring Eagles ahead paired with layups from Lauren Miller and Mia Welty. A persistent Gators offense nailed a three-point shot at the buzzer to capture the lead at the end of the first quarter. A three-point shot and layup from Emma Ryan saw EC steal the lead back from Sage. Back-and-forth action continued through most of the second quarter until Dixon and Mallory Welty changed the momentum with shots in the paint. A three-point shot from Miller broke open the scoring and created a nine-point gap from Sage, sending EC into the half with a 35-26 advantage.

Miller continued her offensive hot streak with a jump shot to open the second quarter followed by a pair of free throws from Dixon off a foul from the Gators. Sage played aggressive on defensive, leading to a pair of free throws for Aynsley Belcher who widened the gap to seven points. Both teams continued to exchange points and fouls before closing the quarter with Elmira leading, 50-39. A 5-0 run to open the final quarter of play ultimately sealed the game for the Soaring Eagles. A three-point shot from Haley Mosch and layups from Ryan and Sophia Ward continue to tack on to Elmira's lead. A bucket from downtown and fastbreak layup from Dixon closed the game, giving Elmira their second consecutive conference victory.

LEADERS
Dixon recorded a double-double, notching 21 points and 10 rebounds along with five steals. Miller followed suit with 15 points, two rebounds, and two steals while Ryan tallied eleven points and four rebounds. Mia Welty closed out the double-digit scorers with ten points of her own and five rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles remain inside Speidel Gymnasium with another E8 matchup against SUNY Geneseo on Tuesday, January 13. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM.