Gators Hold Top Offense in the E8 in Check to Pick Up Home Victory
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Women’s Basketball held Houghton, the top offense in the Empire 8 Conference, to more than 22 points below its season average in Friday evening's 73-58 home win.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
15 | 22 | 5 | 16 | 58 |
|
|
18 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 73 |
Team Stats
Houghton
| Game Statistics | Houghton | Russell Sage College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-75) | (28-51) |
| Field Goal % | 30.7% | 54.9% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 43 |
| Assists | 13 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 8 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 7 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 22 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 22 | 24 |
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Women’s Basketball held Houghton, the top offense in the Empire 8 Conference, to more than 22 points below its season average in Friday evening's 73-58 home win.
The Gators (9-5/4-1 E8) used a second half run of 31-13, including out-scoring the visitors 19-5 in a third quarter where the Highlanders shot 1-of-18 from the field, to overcome a 37-33 halftime deficit.
“Thiswas our best overall team win of the year," remarked RSC Head Coach Michael Branche. "We defended with purpose, moved the ball well, and took great shots on offense. It was a really complete performance."
Senior Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City), who began the week leading the Conference in points per-game, spearheaded the RSC victory. The guard topped all participants with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Senior forward Aniyah Kelley (New Castle, DE/William Penn) scored in double figures for the second-straight contest, adding 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and a block.
Guard Kyla Smith (Sprakers, NY/Fonda-Fultonville/Fredonia)
Junior forward Tabitha DeVries led Houghton (10-3/2-3 E8), which headed into the night tops in the Conference in team offense at 80.8 points per-game,
RSC, in the midst of a stretch of five-straight home games, faces visiting Alfred tomorrow afternoon.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: The 2025-2026 season will mark the second with Branche at the helm…The Gators, coming off a trip to the Quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament, combine eight returners with four newcomers on this year’s roster…Acosta and junior forward Kallie Hopkins (Millsboro, DE/Poly Tech) highlight the returnees…Acosta, a two-time All-Conference pick, became just the tenth RSC player to surpass 1,000 career points in the home win vs. SUNY Cobleskill on December 1…She finished the night fifth in program records with 1,134 career points...Mary Leary ’83 is fourth with 1,199 career points…Hopkins finished last season ranked fifth in the E8 with a 7.6 rebounding average…Acosta was tabbed the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 9…She topped all players with 24 points on 47.3 percent shooting in the season-opening home victory vs. Bard on November 8…Freshman guard Miranda Price (Stillwater, NY/Stillwater) was chosen the E8 Rookie of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 16…She tallied a game-high 19 points in the home win vs. SUNY Morrisville on November 15…Price went 7-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, in her collegiate debut…Acosta was tabbed an E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, December 7…The guard tallied 26 points on 43.5 percent shooting in the home win vs. SUNY Cobleskill on December 1…The senior commenced the week ranked leading the Conference in scoring at 19.2 points per-game.
