UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team fell to the Russell Sage Gators 70-56 in the opening round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, eliminating the Pioneers from conference title contention. 
 
Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) got Utica going with the first basket of the game however, the Gators quickly responded with four straight buckets of their own to take an 8-2 lead and would maintain a lead until under three minutes left in the second quarter. 
 
Although the Pioneers trailed for much of the first half, the team kept the game within single digits until Hannah Stack's (Dogleville, NY/Dolgeville) layup with 2:21 left in the first put Utica up 32-31. In fact, Stack scored six points on three consecutive possessions in one minute's time to put the team up 34-31 and lead to a Sage timeout. The Pioneers took a 36-32 lead into the break with Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) responsible for 12 of Utica's points off of 4-for-5 shooting in roughly 15 minutes of play. 
 
The Pioneers held a tight lead at 40-39 with six minutes to play in the third however, the Gators answered with a 13-6 run through the end of the quarter to enter the fourth frame ahead 52-46. Sage kept pace in the fourth, once again out-scoring Utica 20-10 over the final 10 minutes of action to close the game and advance to the E8 seminfinals at St. John Fisher. 
 
Utica was led by Johndrow who recorded a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in her final game as a Pioneer. DeMarco ended the game with 12 points while Stack and Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) combined for 15 points and seven boards down low. 
 
The Pioneers finish the season 19-7 overall which is the winningest season for the program since the 2009-10 season.