ALFRED, N.Y. – Russell Sage College outscored host Alfred 10-3 in the extra session to come away with a 76-69 overtime Empire 8 Conference victory this evening.
The Gators began the additional five minutes on a 7-1 run and had five players score at least seven points in the road win.
Junior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) provided RSC with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds. She tallied 15 of her points after the half, including four in the overtime period.
Sophomore guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) contributed 18 points, while junior guard Olivia Huneau (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) added 16. Acosta made a trio of three-pointers, including one with less than a minute remaining to knot the E8 contest at 66, while Huneau, who dished out a team-high three assists, registered ten of her points in the first half to help the Gators head into the break up 39-28.
Sophomore forward Aniyah Kelley (New Castle, DE/William Penn) and junior guard Angelina Schaefer (Latham, NY/Shaker) each registered seven points and combined to secure 13 caroms, seven of which were corralled by Kelley.
RSC again got off to a strong start, holding a 7-0 lead four minutes in. The Gators utilized a 14-2 run spanning the first and second periods to have the aforementioned 11-point halftime advantage. RSC shot 54.2 percent from the field, including 85.7 percent from beyond the arc, during the opening 20 minutes. On the night, the Gators made 66.7 percent of their three-pointers, and forced the Saxons into a 25.7 percent shooting performance, a season-worst.
Senior guard Grace Rittenhouse led Alfred (8-13/4-9 E8) with a double-double of 30 points on 9-of-23 shooting and 13 rebounds. She was one of four Saxons to net twin figures.
RSC (6-17/4-10 E8) plays at Elmira tomorrow afternoon. The final regular season road contest for the Gators is set to tip-off at 2:00 pm.
Gator Bites: RSC made its second-consecutive appearance in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament Semifinals last season…Nine players returned from the team…They joined four newcomers to make up this year's roster…Head coach Allison Coleman began her tenth season at the helm with an overall record of 136-84…Acosta started the weekend leading RSC with a 14.0 scoring average, good for sixth in the E8…She scored 30 points on 45.0 percent shooting in the E8 victory vs. Elmira on January 12, becoming the just seventh Gator to score 30 or more points in a game.
