Alfred, Nazareth, Stevens, Utica win

1/9/2015 9:55:28 PM

Alfred 77, Houghton 74 (ot)
Houghton was unable to maintain a fast start, getting into a back and forth game with Alfred University, before falling 77-74 in overtime in an E8 women's basketball matchup.

The Highlanders jumped ahead early, racing to a 17-2 lead in the game's first eight minutes. But the Saxons slowly chipped away and gained a 28-27 lead with just over four minutes to go in the half. The Saxons kept that one-point advantage (34-33) as the teams headed into halftime.

Neither team could wrestle control early in the second half as the game saw four ties and six lead changes over the first eight minutes of the half. The host Saxons took the lead at the 11:36 mark and extended the advantage to six with just under 10 minutes to go. Houghton got buckets from Hannah Fink (Coudersport, PA, Coudersport HS) and Maisie Pipher (Lowman, NY, Twin Tiers Christian) to cut the margin to two, and after a Saxon layup, Pipher converted another field goal and Hannah Manwaring (Barton, NY, Tioga Central HS) knocked down a three and Christel Enriquez-Fisher (Colorado Springs, CO, William Mitchell HS) hit a jumper to put Houghton up by three (65-62) with 3:15 to go.

Alfred knocked down another trey to tie the score and the teams exchanged buckets on ensuing buckets to knot the score at 67 each with 2:22 on the clock. Neither team was unable to get a bucket down the stretch, forcing an overtime session.

After Alfred gained a two point edge at the start of overtime, Enriquez-Fisher hit a jumper and Manwaring hit another three to put the Highlanders up by three. The teams continued to battle back and forth with the Saxons edging ahead 75-74 with two free throws with :22 left. Another foul sent the Saxons to the line where they converted two more free throws with five seconds left and extended the lead to 77-74.

Pipher led the Highlanders with a career-high 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Manwaring added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Fink finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Enriquez-Fisher had eight points and 11 rebounds. Houghton outrebounded Alfred, 56-40, but turned the ball over 27 times.


Utica 66, Elmira 60
The Utica College women's basketball team snapped a five game losing streak Friday evening as it downed Empire 8 rival Elmira College, 66-60, at the Speidel Gymnasium. The Pioneers were led by Mary Miceli (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle)'s game-high, 32 point effort.

UC improves to 5-8 overall as well as 1-3 in Empire 8 play and is right back in action Saturday as it heads to Alfred University to face the Saxons. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the James A. McLane Physical Education Center on Alfred's campus.

The Soaring Eagles fall to 4-7 overall and 1-3 in conference action and remain home Saturday for another Empire 8 matchup as it welcomes Houghton College (2 p.m.).

The teams traded baskets over the first 10 minutes of play as the scoreboard showed a 14-14 tie at the halfway mark. UC then made a push using a 7-0 run, in a span of three minutes, to take a 21-14 lead with 7:01 remaining. The home team answered, however with a run of its own as it went on a 14-5 strut to close out the first 20 minutes with a 28-25 edge.

Elmira opened up the second half on an 18-8 push to take a 13 point lead, 46-33, a little over eight minutes into the final half. UC then regrouped and worked a run of its own to get back into the contest managing a 22-9 rout over the next nine minutes to knot up the match, 55-55, with 2:36 left in regulation. Utica continued its momentum and closed out the game with a 66-60 victory as it got back to its winning ways with its first win of the season in league play.

Miceli shot 10-of-19 from the floor along with hitting 10-of-13 free throws while grabbing seven boards in the win. Christy Traglia (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) and Samantha Stayer (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) each chipped in with nine points while combining for 10 rebounds.

Elmira was guided by Karli Pochkar who tallied a team-best 21 points and eight boards in the loss.

EC outshot UC as it finished the contest with a 41.8% mark from the floor compared to Utica's 39.3% from the field. However, the Pioneers 51.72% performance in the second half proved tough down the stretch as UC grabbed its first win in E8 play, on the road.


Nazareth 69, Hartwick 58
Junior Sam Sorge scored 22 points Friday with six three-point baskets as Nazareth opened a 10-point halftime lead and never trailed thereafter in a 69-58 women's basketball victory over visiting Hartwick.

Nazareth remained unbeaten in Empire 8 Conference play at 2-0 and improved to 7-4 overall. Hartwick dropped to 2-1 in conference play and 4-8 overall.

Sorge's six three-pointers was just one shy of the Nazareth school record of seven that has been accomplished three times. Nazareth also hit 13 three-pointers as a team, also one shy of the school record. Junior Julia Brew added 12 pioints with three three-pointers and junior Kelly Broderick contributed a Nazareth career high of 10 points with three more three-point baskets.

Nazareth treailed 22-20 late in the first half before Broderick hit a three-pointer with 3:51 to go to put the Golden Flyers ahead for good. After a basket by Veronica Peck, Sorge followed with a three-pointer with 1:55 left to push Nazareth's lead to 28-22. Junior Lindsey Kelly hit a pair of free throws with 1:10 left, then Sorge hit two more three-pointers in the closing minute as Nazareth's lead swelled with 10 at 36-26 at the half.

Sorge's hot streak continued as the second-half opened as she hit another three-pointer on Nazareth's first possession. A three-pointer by Brew midway through the second half enabled the Golden Flyers to take a 15-point lead at 57-42 and the Golden Flyers remained comfortably ahead.

Nazareth made 23 of 50 shots from the field overall and 13 of 27 three-pointers. Hartwick went 20 for 43 from the field and 2 for 12 from three-point range. Taylor Vonasek was Hartwick's high scorer with 24 points. Emily Stone added 11. Kelly led all rebounders with nine.

Nazareth is home again Saturday against Stevens at 2 p.m.


Stevens 70, St. John Fisher 61
The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team used a 16-0 second half run to clinch its ninth straight victory in a 70-61 win over St. John Fisher College.
 
The win put Stevens' record at 9-1 while Fisher dropped to 9-4. The Ducks now sit three wins shy of tying the program record for consecutive wins set during the 2007-08 season.
 
Junior Kaitlyn Astel led the Ducks with a career high 22 points and 14 rebounds while junior Dylan Krause scored a season high 15. As a team, the Ducks shot 47.2 percent from the field while their defense held the Cardinals to 29.6 percent.
 
From the start, both teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle where neither side was able to gain more than a four point lead through the first 10 minutes. Stevens was able to go up three after a 6-2 run was capped by a pair of free throws from Krause, but three unanswered from Fisher knotted the game at 19 with six minutes to play in the half.
 
Stevens recaptured that four point lead with just under two minutes remaining off a three from Astel, and again one minute later after a layup from freshman Megan Brown, but Fisher responded with a three to cut the Stevens lead to one going into the break.
 
The seesaw battle continued through the first eight minutes of the second half before a 16-0 Stevens run gave the Ducks a double-digit lead.
 
Sophomore Daphne Ginn kick-started the outburst with a jumper before extending the lead to five with a layup one minute later. Krause continued the run with a three midway through the half, and connected on another two minutes later to put Stevens up 59-47. Krause capped the run with a jumper to put the Ducks up 16 with just under five minutes to go.
 
The Cardinals clawed back to cut the deficit to eight with under two minutes remaining, but the Ducks defense held them to just two points over the last minute to secure the win.