UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team topped Elmira College 45-36 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the fifth seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament. 
 
The team honored its seniors Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia), Kelsey Carter (Shamong, NJ/Seneca), Hope Halvarson (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) and graduate students Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) and Kelsey McCaskill (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) before the game with a brief ceremony.
 
Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) led the team with 19 points, three rebounds, one block, and one steal. Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) brought the energy with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, four steals, and multiple converted and-ones.
 
Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) added four points, seven boards and two steals with Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) scoring two points and hauling in a season-high 10 boards. Hope Halvarson (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) dropped two points with five rebounds and three blocks and was playing lockdown defense all afternoon.
 
Hall got the Pioneers off to a quick 4-0 start to begin the first quarter nailing a layup and a pair of free throws. Elmira used a six-point run to claim a 6-4 lead, yet a Hall jumper knotted the game at 6-6 halfway through the frame. The teams continued to exchange buckets with Elmira canning a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to hold a 15-12 edge after the first quarter.
 
The teams each hit a pair of jumpers as the Soaring Eagles held a 19-14 edge at the 8:21 mark. Elmira converted an and-one to grab a 22-15 lead, but a Hall layup cut the deficit to just 22-17 at the half.
 
Utica used a four-point run to trail by just one as Geraci and Hall splashed a pair of jumpers to open the second half. Hall kept going to work adding another three points, but the Soaring Eagles knotted the game at 25-25 at the 4:24 mark. Timely buckets by Burchhardt and a Rotando converted and-one aided Utica in holding a 33-29 edge after three quarters of play.
 
Elmira struck first in the fourth, yet Rotando answered with a jumper. Rotando picked up a timely steal and canned a fast break jumper to extend the Utica lead to 39-31 at the 3:34 mark. Lagase and Halvarson hit some clutch free throws and the Pioneers held on for the 45-36 E8 victory to earn the fifth seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament.
 
Utica (10-15, 7-9 Empire 8) will travel to face four-seeded Hartwick College on Tuesday, February 20 at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament.