ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College Soaring Eagles women's basketball team hosted the Saxons of Alfred University for an Empire 8 conference matchup inside Speidel Gymnasium on Friday evening. A strong defensive performance pushed the Soaring Eagles to victory over the Saxons, 67-50.
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Kelsey Stewart opened the scoring for EC hitting a three pointer from the wing as the shot clock was winding down. The offense kept the momentum rolling, Emma Ryan was open underneath the basket for a layup and a three pointer from Haley Mosch made the score 8-0 Soaring Eagles. Elmira's defense was tough to beat early, forcing five turnovers in the first quarter, and holding the Saxons to just two points on nine percent shooting. EC went two for six from beyond the arc in the first as Alfred was 0-6. The Soaring Eagles held an 11-2 lead heading into the second quarter. Ryan started the second strong hitting a layup and a three pointer on the first few possessions to extend the advantage. Alfred went on a five-point run to cut the deficit, but Ryan responded instantly with another three-pointer, part of a ten-point first half for her. Elmira continued to be strong from three-point land, going two for five in the second. The Soaring Eagles went into halftime up 23-14.
 
Ryan started the second half driving to the net, drawing a foul, and adding two points from the line. Both teams attacked the paint, trading layups in the early minutes of the third quarter. A steal by Aynsley Belcher led to another three-pointer from Ryan, this one assisted by Sophia Ward for a nine-point advantage. Both teams scored 13 points in the third, as EC held onto a 36-27 lead entering the final quarter. Amarionah Dixon got a steal and fastbreak layup to start the fourth for EC. The Soaring Eagles countered a press from the Saxons perfectly leading to an and-one opportunity for Aynsley Belcher, assisted on a bounce pass by Lauren Miller. EC went on an 11-3 run by attacking the paint, getting layups from Belcher and Dixon, and having multiple trips to the line. Dixon added another basket to put Elmira up by 16, their largest lead of the game. Stewart stole the ball and drove in for a fastbreak layup of her own as EC kept rolling. Dixon helped Elmira close this one out with another layup, part of a 13-point fourth quarter for her. The defense forced nine more turnovers, bringing their total to 23 for the game. Time would run out on the Saxons, Elmira claiming victory in this contest 67-50.  
 
LEADERS
Offensively, Ryan led with 22 points, making four three-pointers and shooting a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Dixon added 21 points while shooting 71 percent from the field and grabbing 10 rebounds. Stewart and Ward locked things down defensively, having four steals and three steals apiece.  

UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will be back inside Speidel Gymnasium to close Athletics Alumni Weekend on Saturday, January 31^st for an E8 matchup with the Highlanders of Houghton University. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM.