ALBANY, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team fell in a nail-biting conference contest to the Russell Sage College Gators on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers fell to the Gators by a score of 58-57. 

Leading the way for the Pioneers was Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) who notched herself 19 points with eight rebounds and three assists. McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) finished with a double-double, 11 points, 10 rebounds, as well as three assists and a team high six steals. Hanna Godkin (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes) chipped in with nine points and three assists with two steals, and Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) hauled in 10 rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Kate Mahoney (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes) added three assists and three steals, while Natalie Cornell (Greenwood, NY/Jasper-Troupsburg) and Emma Simmons (Unadilla, NY/Sidney Central) each nabbed a steal of their own. 

The opening frame would see Lagase put the Pioneers on the board with a three point basket early. A defensive rebound by Hall would fuel the Pioneers in transition to allow Mahoney to sink a three of her own shortly after. Simmons would push the Pioneers lead to seven after a made free throw. A pair of layups from Godkin would put Utica ahead by eight with just under three minutes remaining in the opening frame. Costly turnovers by the Gators early would prove pivotal, with Utica capitalizing on eight points off turnovers in the opening frame, taking the lead at 16-9. 

To open the second stanza, Simmons would convert two free throws to widen the gap to nine early. The Gators would begin to find their rhythm with three back to back buckets to cut the deficit to three. Another layup by Sage and a made free throw would knot the game at 18 a piece with seven minutes remaining in the quarter. Hall took the Sage slim lead and made it short lived with a pair of timely threes to go up 24-21 under halfway through the frame. Both teams would continue to trade blows, but Sage would come up with the lead going into the halftime break, 30-28. 

Coming out of the break, Simmons would find her spark, converting a three point play less than 30 seconds into the third quarter. Two and a half minutes later, Simmons would once again convert on a three point play, putting the Pioneers within one. Sage would find its momentum again, pushing the lead to as much as six with just under four minutes left in the frame, but the Pioneers would refuse to go down without a fight, cutting the deficit to one going into the final frame. 

The final frame would see both teams struggle to get their offenses going, with over three minutes elapsing in the frame before Cornell would be the one to break the ice. Both teams would once again trade blows, with Utica able to get out by three late in the quarter. A Gators three would knot the game a 53 a side, and a costly Utica foul would prove to be the difference maker. A pair of made free throws with eight seconds left on the game clock would give the Gators the win by a score of 58-57. 

Utica (3-14, 1-7 Empire 8) returns to action on Tuesday, January 28 as the team takes on cross town rival and Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Poly at home. Tip off from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center is set for 5:30pm.