UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team is set for its final two games of the regular season this week. The team will travel to take on cross-town rival and Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Poly on Tuesday, February 18, with a tip off slated for 5:30pm. The team will then travel to Keuka Park, NY to take on the Keuka College Wolves on Wednesday, February 19 with a tip off slated for 5:30pm. Wednesday's game will serve as a makeup game for last weekend's postponement.
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for Tuesday's matchup can be found here, and live stats can be found here. Live video for Wednesday's matchup can be found here, while live stats can be found here.
Last Time Out: The team fell in an Empire 8 Conference matchup to the Elmira College Soaring Eagles last Friday evening by a score of 61-50. McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) put together a strong outing, registering 14 points and nine rebounds. Simmons went 6-9 from the free-throw line while also recording three steals. Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) added 14 points on 5-10 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Forward Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) contributed 10 points and two assists. Carly Atty (Tribes Hill, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) was active under the basket, recording seven rebounds.
Breaking Out: Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) has become a pivotal piece of the Pioneer offense in the last four games. Lagase put together a standout performance against Elmira, netting herself 14 points, two points shy of her season high. In the last four games, Lagase has averaged 10.3 points per game, outdoing her season average of 6.7 points per game. Lagase has been one of the best shooters for the Pioneers, shooting over 40 percent from the floor in the last four games. She has also averaged 5.8 rebounds per game, with 23 total rebounds in four games.
Still Running the Game: Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) has been able to continue her dominance throughout the entire season. Hall currently occupies the second place slot on the conference leaderboard in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, despite playing in four less games than the conference leader. Hall is also one of the best free throw shooters in the conference, occupying the third slot on the conference leaderboard in free throw percentage with 82 percent of her free throws falling. Hall's 18.4 points per game has currently bested her average from last season of 17.3 points per game, even though Hall played in all 26 games for the Pioneers last season.
Scouting Poly: The Empire 8 Conference newcomer and cross-town rival SUNY Poly Wildcats are 5-19 on the season, and are 4-11 in conference play. The Wildcats are averaging just over 43 points as a team per game, compared to the 63 points per game the Wildcats allow to opponents. Alysa Jackson is the team's leading scorer averaging 11.7 points per game. From outside, Kate Donnelly is the team's top threat, averaging 4.6 three point field goal attempts per game. Sanaa Lee is the team's leading rebounds, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game. Lee has also been a stout defender, registering 76 total blocked shots this season. Hannah Shipley has also been a thorn in the side of offenses, generating 41 steals this season. When the Pioneers took on the Wildcats at home earlier this season, Poly came out on top by a score of 72-62.
A Look at Keuka: The Wolves are sitting at 0-14 in the conference and are 5-18 overall. The Wolves are averaging just over 51 total points per game, yet are being outscored by over 16 points per game by opponents. Junior guard Mary Cotter is leading the team offensively with 276 total points and 30 assists this season. Cotter does it all for the Wolves, logging a total of 16 steals and 17 blocks. Brooke Burd is the team's leading rebounder, with over 220 total rebounds this season. Senior guard Caiden Crego is also a crucial piece of the Wolves offense as she leads the team in assists with a total of 58. Lillian Mullen has been a thorn in the sides of offenses this season, generating a team high 24 steals. The last time the Wolves played the Pioneers was last season, and despite Cotter's 12 point effort, Utica came out on top 76-44.
