Women's Basketball | 2/20/2024 6:54:44 PM
No. 3 Houghton University and and No. 4 Hartwick College advanced to the semifinals of the 2023-24 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Tournament Championship after earning first round victories on Tuesday, February 20. Houghton defeated No. 6 Elmira College, 71-43, while Hartwick earned a 69-44 win over No. 5 Utica University.
Houghton will head to No. 2 seed Nazareth for a semifinal contest at 5:30 p.m. from Kidera Gymnasium on Thursday. Hartwick will travel to top-seed St. John Fisher and take on the two-time defending champion Cardinals from Manning-Napier Varsity Gym in the second semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2024 Empire 8 Championship at the highest remaining seed on Saturday.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, which begins March 1-2.
St. John Fisher won both previous meetings versus Hartwick earlier this season, including an 87-39 win in the most recent meeting on Jan. 27. The Cardinals also earned a 75-61 win on the road at Hartwick on Dec. 1. Nazareth and Houghton split the season series with each team winning on its home court. Nazareth earned an 70-58 win on Jan. 23, while Houghton pulled out a 62-54 win on Feb. 10.
NO. 3 HOUGHTON 71 NO. 6 ELMIRA 43
Houghton led 22-9 after one quarter of play and 39-17 at halftime en route to their first Empire 8 postseason win in program history, 71-43 over Elmira. The Highlanders improved to 22-4 on the season, while Elmira had its season end with an 11-13 mark.
Houghton shot 57 percent from the floor in the first half as they jumped out to the big lead.
Tabitha DeVries led Houghton with 15 points and five boards, while Kayla Camacho and Hannah Siewart added 11 points each. Trinity Copeland added eight points, nine boards, two blocks and two steals
Alleney Klunk led Elmira with 17 points in the loss.
NO. 4 HARTWICK 69, NO. 4 UTICA 44
The Hawks produced offensively and defensively on Tuesday night to take the 69-44 victory over the Utica University Pioneers in the opening round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Hartwick improves to 13-13 overall, while Utica has its season end with a 10-16 mark.
Bree Fargnoli (Binghamton, N.Y.) came out on fire for the Hawks, going 2 for 3 from behind the arc and scoring 8 of Hartwick's 15 points in the first quarter. Behind a balanced scoring attack, the Hawks led by 17, 39-22 after the first twenty minutes of play.
Out of the break, the home squad stayed the course in the third quarter despite a push from the Pioneers.The Hawks picked up 12 of their 15 points in the third down low thanks to the tandem of Fargnoli and
Isabella Astorino (Warwick, N.Y.).
The Hawks saw eight players score in the contest, with Fargnoli leading the way with 18 and Astorino finishing the night with 16.
Overall, Hartwick shot 51 percent from the floor and forced the Pioneers into 28 turnovers. Hope Halverson led Utica with 11 points, while Vanessa Hall added 10 points.
2023-24 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, February 20 – First Round (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 4 Hartwick defeated No. 5 Utica, 69-44 – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Houghton defeated No. 6 Elmira, 71-43 – BOX SCORE
Thursday, February 22 – Semifinals (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 3 Houghton vs. No. 2 Nazareth – 5:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 4 Hartwick at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 6:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, February 24 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - TBA
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 and
YouTube
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram