HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Russell Sage College had its winning streak come to an end with this evening's 69-60 Empire 8 Conference setback at Houghton.
The Highlanders, which shot 45.6 percent from the field, compared to 27.7 percent for the Gators, used a 12-3 fourth quarter run spanning 5:50 to secure the home victory. Following the stretch, part of a 22-12 fourth quarter score in favor of Houghton, the Gators (14-8/10-5 E8) were unable to get closer than four.
RSC, which entered the weekend winners of five-straight, had four players tally twin figures tonight. Freshman guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) topped the quartet with 15 points.
Sophomore guard Syrita Faraj (Troy, NY/Tamarac), who was named the E8 Player of the Week on Monday, and sophomore guard Lauren Sanderson (Ravena, NY/RCS) added 12 points apiece, while senior guard Sammy Pasinella (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) scored 11.
Sophomore guard Kayla Camacho led the Highlanders (15-7/8-7 E8) with 29 points, 21 of which came after the intermission. Freshman forward Emma Cole tossed in 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds.
Looking ahead, RSC finishes its weekend E8 road back-to-back at Medaille on Saturday at 2:00 pm.
Notes: The Gators are coming off a semifinal appearance in the E8 Conference Championship Tournament…11 players returned from the team…Sophomore guard Syrita Faraj (Troy, NY/Tamarac) and senior guard Sammy Pasinella (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) highlighted the group…Faraj, the 2021-22 E8 Rookie of the Year, surpassed 500 career points on Dec. 29 vs. Rhode Island College…She scored 32 points, fourth-most in a game by an RSC player, twice this season (1/28, 2/4)…Pasinella is on pace to become the ninth Gators to score 1,000 career points…The two-time All-Conference selection, opened the season ranked sixth in program records with 120 career made three-pointers…Forward Giuliana Pritchard (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam/Hartwick), a graduate student, surpassed 1,000 career collegiate points on Jan. 13 vs. Medaille...Head coach Allison Coleman began her ninth season at the helm with an overall record of 119-74…She secured her 125th career victory on Dec. 3, 2022 vs. Keuka.
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