ALFRED, N.Y. – Russell Sage College kicked off an important weekend of Empire 8 Conference play with a 79-75 overtime victory at Alfred. The Gators, now winners of three-in-a-row, opened the extra session on a 10-2 run to help secure the road win.
Senior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) paced RSC with a double-double of 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The co-captain, who tallied her second-straight double-double and fourth of the season, scored seven points in overtime.
Sophomore forward Kallie Hopkins (Millsboro, DE/Poly Tech) and senior guard Lauren Sanderson (Ravena, NY/Ravena-Coyemans-Selkirk) contributed 17 points each. Hopkins grabbed double-digit rebounds for the third-straight game and netted five points in the fourth and fifth quarters. Sanderson, who shot 6-of-16 from the field, recorded four assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Freshman guard Riley Sitcer (Coxsackie, NY/Coxsackie-Athens) and junior guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) added eight points apiece.
"I'm extremely proud of the way the team fought today," said Head Coach Michael Branche. "They have shown a tremendous amount of growth this season and are eager to keep getting better. I'm very happy with the foundation we have developed and excited to see where it takes us."
RSC, which only led for 12 seconds of regulation, erased an 11-point third quarter deficit to force overtime.
Alfred (11-8/5-5 E8), which fell to 7-2 at home, received 25 points from senior guard Grace Rittenhouse. She went 9-of-19 from the field, including making six three-pointers. Sophomore guard Jaidyn Chest tossed in 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists.
RSC (6-12/5-5 E8) wraps up the regular season with seven of its last eight games away from home. The playoff push continues tomorrow at Houghton. Start time is set for 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 returned for the Gators…The dozen combine with five newcomers on this year's squad… RSC finishes the regular season with seven of its last eight games away from home…Acosta, 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.
