ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College trimmed a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to single digits before falling 63-53 to visiting Hartwick this evening in Empire 8 Conference action.
Junior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) established a career-high with 28 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the setback.
Sophomore guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) added 11 points, while sophomore forward Aniyah Kelley (New Castle, DE/William Penn) led all players with eight rebounds.
Hartwick (6-8/4-3 E8) used a 14-2 run across 2:18 spanning the first and second quarters to hold a 37-26 lead at the break. Hartwick senior guard Angelina Maselli topped all players with 14 first half points, while Gereau had ten of her points in the opening half.
The Hawks increased their advantage during the third and fourth periods, before the Gators rallied to get within eight, 61-53, with 2:16 remaining.
'Wick senior forward Bree Fargnoli answered with a steal and fast-break layup, which proved to be the final points of the contest, with 1:40 left. She registered 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the win.
Maselli finished with 14 points, while senior forward Caitie Unger scored 11 points for the victors.
Looking ahead, RSC (4-12/2-5 E8) plays at Houghton on Saturday 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…Sophomore guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City), who leads RSC with a 13.3 scoring average, scored 30 points on 45.0 percent shooting in the E8 victory vs. Elmira on January 12...She became the just seventh Gator to score 30 or more points in a game.
