Women's Basketball | 2/7/2023 7:35:00 PM
HOUGHTON, NY – In a game with playoff implication of swapping spots in the Empire 8 Conference standings, the Elmira College women's basketball team came out on top inside the Nielsen Center, picking up a big win to maintain the No. 4 spot in the E8. In a contest in which offense was at a premium, Nevaeh Winston '25 and Laura Bogota '25 were able to combine for nearly 50 percent of the Elmira offense as the pair combined for 26 points.
With the win, the Soaring Eagles have clinched their first Empire 8 Playoff berth since the 2006-07 season.
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 53, Houghton 49
LOCATION: Houghton, New York | Dix Family Court
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (13-8, 9-6 E8), Houghton (14-7, 7-7 E8)
The Soaring Eagles would score the first four points of the contest off a pair of made buckets on the interior from Laura Bogota '25. After the Highlanders evened the score, it would be Alleney Klunk '24 and Olivia Ayres '25 who would put EC ahead by five following a deep ball from Ayres. From there, scoring would not come easy as both teams went quiet for a four-minute period before Houghton scored the final seven points of the quarter, carrying an 11-9 lead after one. In the quarter, the Soaring Eagles would shoot just 4-of-18 from the floor (22.2%), compared to 4-of-17 for the Highlanders (23.5%).
Nevaeh Winston '25 would score the first Soaring Eagle bucket of the second in fastbreak style off of a steal of her own, knotting the score at 11-11. After another basket from Winston to regive Elmira the lead, the Highlanders would use another run to score the next five as Winston kept the Soaring Eagles close by scoring each of the first eight points for EC in the second quarter. At the end of the first half, the Soaring Eagles narrowly trailed 22-2.
The Soaring Eagles would regain the lead at 25-24 just over two minutes into the second half after Desiree Roy '25 was able to jump into the scoring column for the first time under the basket. Offense would remain quiet for both teams, picking up near the end of the quarter where the teams swapped leads three times down the stretch. Ultimately, Houghton would lead 33-30 after three quarters of play.
Klunk would get the scoring started right away for Elmira, as the Soaring Eagles continued its focus on the interior with a handful of strong takes which led to fouls. After getting down by as many as five, Winston would tie the game at 36-36 after a pair of made free throws. Down the stretch, each possession became crucial as the Soaring Eagles were able to use a 12-2 run from the 9:26 mark to the 2:26 mark to help EC regain the lead.
Leading by four with just under a minute left, Bogota found her way to the stripe after a blocking foul, which allowed EC to take a six-point lead down the stretch. After Houghton was able to grab a duo of offensive rebounds, a costly turnover placed the ball back in the hands of EC, who held a five-point lead with 33.8 seconds remaining. The Highlanders would be forced to foul, where Elmira would finish the game 20-of-24 from the stripe (83.3%).
ELMIRA LEADERS (26.7%, 16-of-60 from the floor)
Nevaeh Winston - 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals
Laura Bogota - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Desiree Roy- 8 points, 9 rebounds
HOUGHTON LEADERS (22.0%, 13-of-59 from the floor)
Abby Guiher - 10 points, 3 rebounds
Kayla Camacho - 13 points, 5 rebounds
UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles will return back home on Friday to kick off its final regular season games inside Speidel Gymnasium when hosting the Wolves from Keuka College at 5:30 PM. Elmira will then conclude its home schedule on Saturday when hosting Utica at 2:00 PM.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
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