Elmira upsets Brockport in Empire 8 quarterfinals
- Dylan O’Loughlin
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By: Dylan O'Loughlin
BROCKPORT, NY --- The No. 2 Brockport Golden Eagles Women's Basketball squad hosted the No. 7 Elmira Soaring Eagles in the Empire 8 quarterfinals. Brockport was down 10 at halftime but was able to take a 63-56 lead at the end of the third. It was not enough though as Elmira caught fire in the fourth outscoring the Golden Eagles by 13 for a 77-71 upset victory.
Brockport was down 41-31 at the start of the third, but started on a 6-2 run to cut the lead to four right away thanks to an and-one from forward Claire Turner and a three-pointer from junior Brianna Carey. The Golden Eagles rode momentum from there as Brockport went on another 12-4 run to take a 53-50 lead midway through the third.
Brockport won the quarter 32-15 while shooting 12-19 from the field to take a seven-point lead at the end of the third. Five different Golden Eagles put points on the board in the third as senior Mandy Brink netted 13 of her team-high 18 points in the quarter to lead the way.
In the fourth quarter though, the script flipped. Elmira got hot as the Soaring Eagles shot 8-14 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc in the final 10 minutes while Brockport shot 1-15 overall and 1-10 from the three. Six different Soaring Eagles scored in the quarter and even with their two highest points per game scorers fouling out before the midway point, Elmira won the fourth 21-8.
With the two highest scorers fouling out, Elmira looked to the Mansfield transfer Lauren Miller and she showed up. The junior guard finished with a game-high 21 points knocking down six threes along the way. In the fourth, Miller poured in 10 points with nine coming from beyond the arc to lead all scorers and Elmira to victory.
In the first quarter, Elmira got off to a hot start as well. The Soaring Eagles connected on their first four triples to take a quick 12-4 lead right away and set the tone for the quarterfinal. Brockport fought its way back to tie it at 21 apiece heading into the second.
In the second quarter, Brockport couldn't find the bottom of the net as the Golden Eagles shot 2-16 compared to Elmira's 9-15. Despite the poor shooting performance in the first half, Brockport was able to stay in it thanks to senior guard Stephanie Jean-Baptiste scoring 10 of her 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
On the day for the Golden Eagles, Brink led the way with 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal while Carey followed with 17 points, four boards, two assists and one steal. Jean-Baptiste chipped in 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals while first year Addy VanDewater scored seven points. Turner stuffed the stat sheet as well with five points, seven boards, four assists, four steals and three blocks.
For Elmira, Miller led the way with 21 points including 18 from downtown along with nine assists and four rebounds while sophomore Emma Ryan netted 15 points. Senior guard Amarionah Dixon posted 13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals while Aynsley Belcher notched eight points, eight rebounds and a block. Haley Mosch finished with eight points, seven rebounds, a block and an assist.
With the loss, Brockport is officially eliminated from playoffs and finish the season with an 18-8 overall record and a 14-3 record in conference play. On the other hand, Elmira improves to 13-13 overall and 8-9 in E8 play while earning its first win in program history against Brockport. The Soaring Eagles move on to the Empire 8 semifinals and travel to take on No. 3 Houghton on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
The Golden Eagles lose seniors Jean-Baptiste, Brink, Turner, Madison Misser and Mallory Turner, but will be ready to reload and fight for the coveted Empire 8 crown in 2027.
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