ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day on Tuesday night as they hosted the Wolves of Keuka College in an Empire 8 matchup. The Soaring Eagles came out on top in their final game of the regular season, 68–58.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Keuka opened the game's scoring with a pair of layups before Mallory Welty drained a three-pointer to get the Soaring Eagles on the board. After a three by the Wolves, Mia Welty responded with one of her own. Natalie Musolino's shot from downtown pulled EC within two, but Keuka finished the quarter on a 7–0 run to take a 19–10 lead after ten minutes. Keuka's layup was the first field goal of the second quarter and was quickly answered by an Amarionah Dixon jumper. The Wolves extended their lead to 13, but an 11–0 run by Elmira — highlighted by a Kelsey Stewart triple and a pair of layups from Aynsley Belcher — pulled the Soaring Eagles within two. A couple of Keuka baskets pushed the lead back up, but Aynsley Belcher's layup at the end of the half brought Elmira within three as they headed into the locker room trailing 30–27.

Amarionah Dixon's old-fashioned three-point play got the Soaring Eagles started in the second half and also helped her reach 1,000 points in her collegiate career. A run by the Wolves gave them a six-point edge, but EC responded strongly with a 13–0 run, fueled by layups from Sophia Ward and a triple from Mallory Welty, to take a 44–37 lead. After free throws by both sides, Elmira carried a 46–39 lead into the final quarter. The fourth quarter opened with back-and-forth action, but a Keuka run knotted the game at 51 with just over six minutes remaining. The Wolves regained the lead before an Emma Ryan triple tied it once again. Aynsley Belcher's free throws then gave EC a narrow edge with just over two minutes left. Layups from Belcher and Ward helped extend the Soaring Eagles' lead, and strong free-throw shooting down the stretch secured the 68–58 victory.

LEADERS
Amarionah Dixon led the way for the Soaring Eagles with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Aynsley Belcher also had a strong performance with 15 points and 9 rebounds. 

UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will travel to Brockport on Saturday, February 21 to face the Golden Eagles in the first round of the Empire 8 women's basketball tournament. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM.