Strong Second Half Leads Elmira to First E8 Win for Women’s Basketball
Elmira, NY – EC Women’s Basketball hosted Empire 8 competitor RIT Tigers (2-11) this afternoon as Elmira looked to earn their first E8 win of the season. Today’s game marked the second time each team has seen each this season with RIT claiming a victory in the first meeting.
Elmira would open the game with a lay-up just 17 seconds into regulation but this would be their only lead of the half as the Tigers would take control by going on a 15-0 run. EC failed to find their stroke from the field in the first as they went a dismal 8-31 from the field and 0-7 beyond the arc. Fourth year forward Becca Fretz ’11 (Kunkletown, PA -- Pleasant Valley) kept Elmira in the first half as she scored 8 points and grabbed 4 boards. RIT would carry an 11 point lead going into halftime.
In the second Elmira would flip the script as they put up 59 points on the Tigers. EC would open the second half with an impressive 14-0 run as Tesia Kaczynski ’11 (Mansfield, PA -- Mansfield) and Maria Thannhauser ’14 (Newfield, NY -- Newfield) would hit two three-pointers a piece. The lead would change hands several times before EC took control of the game from the 12:31 mark and on. From this point Elmira would hold a lead for the remainder of the game to hold off the Tigers for an 82-74 victory.
Elmira finished the game with five players in double figures including Becky Peterman ’11 (Glen Gardner, NJ -- Voorhees), Jessica Zoltowski ’14 (Erie, PA -- Harbor Creek), Fretz, Kaczynski, and Thannhauser. Peterman finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds while Zoltowski earned a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. Fretz led all scorers with 18 while picking up another 8 rebounds and Kaczynski dropped 15 points, 12 coming from three point range. Thannhauser added 13 points and 7 boards in an effort off the bench.
With the win Elmira improves to 3-11 overall and 1-5 in the Empire 8 Conference.