UTICA, NY — The Utica College women's basketball team hits the road on Tuesday to take on The Sage Colleges in Empire 8 play. The opening tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers last took on the Highlanders of Houghton College and picked up the 49-45 conference win. The were led by freshman
Jeslyn Files (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport)' career-high 11 points, on an impressive 3-for-5 shooting from behind the arc. Senior backcourt
Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop) and
Ashley Mayo (Bronx, NY/Nanuet) both scored eight points in the win. Freshman
Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancey Memorial) scored six points and dished out a career-high six dimes in the contest. Sophomore
Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) scored seven points, all in the second quarter.
Milestone Approaching: Senior
Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop) is beginning to draw near the 1,000 point mark for her career. Heading into Tuesday's matchup with Sage, Babb needs 61 points to reach that milestone. She is currently the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.5 points per game this season. Babb has a chance to step closer to 1,000 points against Sage, who she scored 18 points against earlier in the season.
Final Stretch: The Pioneers are ready for three games in six days on the road this week. Following Sage, they take on the Hawks of Hartwick College on Thursday. After a day of preparation, they get back on the bus to head to Elmira to take on the Soaring Eagles on Saturday. The Pioneers will then return home Friday, February 16th to host Alfred University before closing out the regular season the next day at home against the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology.
Scouting Sage: The Gators hold a 14-6 record overall and 8-3 in E8 play. They currently sit at No. 2 in the Empire 8 standings. Sage is led by senior Genevieve Schoff (15.8 ppg) and junior Emily Parslow (14.7 ppg). The duo both rank in the top five in scoring in the conference. The team has won two games in a row, and is 6-0 on its home court this season.
Last Time Against Sage: The last time the two met was on January 16 as Sage came out on top 72-65. The Pioneers had four players score in double figures. They were led by senior
Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop)'s 18 points and career-high nine steals.
Ashley Mayo (Bronx, NY/Nanuet) added 16 point and four assists while
Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) and
Alaina Tripp (Clyde, NY/Clyde-Savannah) combined for 21 points. Emily Parslow led all scorers with 24 points for Sage.
Conference Picture: Utica holds an overall record of 8-12 and is 4-7 in Empire 8 competition. The team is tied for sixth place, as only the top four teams will earn a spot to compete in the conference tournament on February 23rd. The current standings are as follows: 1. St. John Fisher (11-1 E8), 2. Sage (8-3 E8), 3. Houghton (7-4 E8), 4. Nazareth (7-5 E8), 5. Stevens (6-6 E8), 6. Hartwick (4-7 E8), Utica (4-7 E8), 8. Elmira (3-7 E8), 9. Alfred (0-10 E8). With the hopes of making the top four still alive, UC has just five games left to make that final push into the E8 tournament.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers are back in action Thursday as they travel to Oneonta to take on Hartwick College. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
