ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College continued its stretch of six-straight home games by defeating visiting Elmira 59-55 this evening.
The Tuesday Empire 8 Conference action was tight throughout including when the Gators used a 10-2 fourth quarter run spanning 3:35 to go up five with 1:40 remaining. After the visiting Soaring Eagles knocked down a three-pointer to get within two with 1:26 left, the RSC defense, buoyed by a charge drawn by junior guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) with 23 seconds to go, combined with some made Gator foul shots were enough to secure the home victory.
Senior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) topped all players with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting. She had 14 of her points after the half, including six in the final period, and grabbed 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
Acosta added 14 points, while senior guard Lauren Sanderson (Ravena, NY/Ravena-Coyemans-Selkirk) tossed in 11 points of 4-of-7 shooting.
"Our team took another step forward tonight," said Head Coach Michael Branche. "They picked each other up when adversity hit and stayed together throughout the whole game. We got contributions from everyone today and Malena was the catalyst to it."
Senior guard Laura Bogota led Elmira (7-6/1-3 E8) with 13 points and four assists, while senior guard Taylor Jung achieved a double-double of 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 11 boards.
Looking ahead, RSC (3-8/2-2 E8) hosts Saint John Fisher on Friday.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: The season marks the first with Branche as the Head Coach of RSC Women's Basketball…He had been an assistant women's basketball coach since July 2020…12 players, making up just shy of 94 percent of the team scoring return for the Gators…The dozen combine with five newcomers on this year's squad…Acosta, and junior forward Aniyah Kelley (New Castle, DE/William Penn), and Sanderson headline the returning Gators…Acosta, who tops the Gators in scoring, began the week leading the Empire 8 Conference in free throw percentage…As of Monday, RSC was the only program in the Conference with three of the top-14 foul shooters…Senior guard Olivia Huneau (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes), Sanderson, and Gereau were voted captains of the team.
