ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College used a fast start to ground visiting Hartwick 58-45 tonight. The Gators, which enjoyed a 51-33 rebounding advantage, kept the Hawks scoreless for the opening 9:15 to get out to a 15-0 lead in the home Empire 8 Conference victory.
Senior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) topped all players with 17 points. She added 15 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Junior guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) contributed 16 points of 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, four assists, three steals, and three rebounds.
Sophomore forward Kallie Hopkins (Millsboro, DE/Poly Tech) helped RSC, now winners of two-straight, control the glass, grabbing 12 boards to go along with seven points.
Down 17-5 after the first period, Hartwick (4-13/2-7 E8) trimmed its deficit to eight at the break. RSC used an 11-0 third quarter run to go up 19, only for the Hawks to answer with a 14-0 jaunt of their own to get within five, 49-44 with 3:00 left in regulation. The Gators closed strongly, netting eight of the next nine points to secure the home win.
Sophomore guard Macy Durkin paced the Hawks with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and seven rebounds.
Looking ahead, RSC (5-12/4-5 E8) concludes the regular season with six of its final seven games away from home. The run begins on Friday at 5:30 PM at Alfred.
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 returned 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 senior guard Lauren Sanderson (Ravena, NY/Ravena-Coyemans-Selkirk) 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.
