ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College dropped this evening's Empire 8 Conference game to visiting Saint John Fisher 81-52.
Five Gators scored at least six points against the three-time defending E8 Champions
Junior guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) topped RSC with 12 points, while senior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) added nine points and six boards.
Freshman guard Riley Sitcer (Coxsackie, NY/Coxsackie-Athens) equaled a career-high with eight points, with sophomore forward Kallie Hopkins (Millsboro, DE/Poly Tech) and senior guard Lauren Sanderson (Ravena, NY/Ravena-Coyemans-Selkirk) contributing six points each. Hopkins grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Acosta distributed three assists.
RSC experienced a slow start against the Cardinals, in pursuit of their fourth-consecutive E8 title, going scoreless for the opening 5:31 and not making its first field goal until early in the second period.
The Cardinals (10-4/5-0 E8), which led 21-3 after the first quarter and 42-16 at the break, had four players score in double figures in the road victory.
Looking ahead, RSC (3-9/2-3 E8) hosts Nazareth tomorrow at 2:00 PM.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: The season marks the first with Michael 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.
