Elmira Bows Out of ECAC Metro Championships
Brooklyn, NY -- Playing in their first playoff game in seven years, the Elmira College women's basketball team (16-10) came up just short as they fell on the road to Brooklyn College (21-7) 50-47 in the quarterfinals of the ECAC Division III Women's Basketball Metro Championships. Elmira's
Jessica Zoltowski '14 was one rebound shy of a double-double as she scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds in her final game as a Soaring Eagle. Zoltowski's 23 points gives her 1,631 career points as she exits Elmira College as the program's all-time leading scorer.
Also playing in the last collegiate game of her career was
Maria Thannhauser '14 who added 11 points. Elmira's other three starters combined for 11 points while the remaining two came from the bench.
The Soaring Eagles, who were seeded sixth in the tournament, struggled from the floor tonight as they made 17-of-59 attempts for a 28.8 shooting percentage. However, it was Elmira's defense that kept them in the game as the Purple and Gold forced 18 turnovers and held the Bulldogs of Brooklyn, who were seeded third in the tournament, without a three-point basket.
Brooklyn held the edge for the majority of the first half but not by a large margin as their largest lead in the half was four points. Trailing 18-17 with 3:33 to play in the first half, a foul would be assessed to Brooklyn, allowing
Karli Pochkar '16 to knock down a pair of free throws. Pochkar's freebies would spark a 6-0 run by the Soaring Eagles to close out the first half, taking a 23-18 lead into the break.
Zoltowski and Thannhauser paced the Soaring Eagles in the first half as the duo combined for 17 of EC's 23 first half points. Zoltowski scored eight points while grabbing seven first half boards while Thannhauser scored nine of her game's 11 points in the first half. Also credit Elmira's stifling defense for their first half success as the Purple and Gold forced 13 Brooklyn turnovers.
Elmira would build their lead to seven points at the 18:41 mark of the second half on a
Liz Forrest '14 layup, giving EC their largest lead of the game, 25-18. However, a 12-0 run over the next four minutes would change the game as the Bulldogs took a 30-25 advantage. Brooklyn's 12-point swing was a product of EC turnovers as the Soaring Eagles coughed up the ball on 5-of-8 possessions.
The Brooklyn lead would hover around five points for the majority of the second half, peaking as high as nine at the 4:00 minute mark, 46-37. Elmira trimmed the lead to four points with 1:35 to play as EC pieced together a mini 5-0 run on a fast break layup by Zoltowski and a three-point bucket from
Alex Balara '15.
Brooklyn would build their lead back to six points with 26 seconds to play and a made three-pointer by Zoltowski with just one tick remaining on the clock all but sealed a 50-47 Bulldog victory.
Tonight marks the final contest of the 2013-14 season for the Elmira College women's basketball team. They finish the year with a 16-10 overall record, Elmira's most successful season in seven years.