ONEONTA, N.Y. – Russell Sage College dropped tonight's Empire 8 Conference game at Hartwick 53-42.
The Hawks used a 27-6 run spanning the intermission to pick up the home victory.
Sophomore Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) topped the Gators with 19 points. The guard, who ranks sixth in the Conference with 14.0 points per-game, went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and grabbed six rebounds.
Junior guard Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central) tallied seven points on 3-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, and two assists, while junior guard Olivia Huneau (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) registered eight points and three steals.
RSC started the night strong, making six of its first 11 shots to hold a 13-4 lead after the first period. The Hawks answered, closing the half on a 14-2 run to head into the break knotted at 24. Hartwick (10-12/7-6 E8), now winners of three-straight, continued its momentum by outscoring the Gators 13-4 in the third quarter
Senior forward Sareena DiCerbo (Schenectady, NY/Colonie), one of three Hawks in double figures, paced the victors with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Senior forward Isabella Astorino contributed a double-double of 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 12 boards, while senior forward Bree Fargnoli added 11 points and dished out five assists.
RSC (5-18/3-11 E8), now with just three games remaining in the campaign, plays next on Friday at 5:30 pm at Alfred.
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…Acosta leads RSC with a 14.0 scoring average, good for sixth in the E8…She scored 30 points on 45.0 percent shooting in the E8 victory vs. Elmira on January 12, becoming the just seventh Gator to score 30 or more points in a game.
