The Brockport women’s basketball team will be hosting Elmira College on Saturday in the first round of the Empire 8 conference tournament. The Golden Eagles earned hosting rights after being named regular season champions following their win over Geneseo on Tuesday to wrap up the regular season.
Brockport ended the regular season with a 22-3 overall record and a 15-1 in conference record. Their only conference loss came against St. John Fisher on Feb. 8; the final score being 67-70 in a back-and-forth game.
In their last two matchups versus Elmira, the Golden Eagles came out on top both times, winning 74-53 in mid-January and again 71-58 on Feb. 1.
Brockport has dominated all season on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the team ranks first in scoring per game in the Empire 8 with 79 points per game. This also ranks them ninth nationally. Defensively, they have been just as strong. Holding their opponents to 62.8 points per game, the Golden Eagles are averaging just under 23 turnovers forced per game, again first in the Empire 8 and 31st nationally.
Stephanie Jean-Baptiste has been a critical part of Brockport’s success this season. The junior leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game, third in the Empire 8. Jean-Baptiste scored her 1,000th career point versus Nazareth on Feb. 7. Defensively, she is averaging 2.5 steals per game, second in the Empire 8.
Senior guard Cameron Tooley has been another crucial piece of this Brockport team. The Ballston Lake, NY native leads the team in rebounds with 7.9 per game, as well as assists with 3.9. Tooley scored 14 points and added three assists, eight rebounds and two steals when Brockport last played Elmira.
Elmira will be looking for redemption this year, after losing in the first round in last year’s conference tournament. The Soaring Eagles have a 12-13 overall record and are 6-10 in conference. They have won their last four games, including a 28-point win over Keuka to finish the regular season on Tuesday. A strong defensive team, Elmira has held their opponents to 57.9 points per game, third in the Empire 8.
To initiate their offense, Elmira will rely on Laura Bogota. The senior guard is averaging team-highs 11 points and 2.8 assists. Bogota scored 19 points versus Brockport on Feb. 1.
Second in scoring is Taylor Jung, averaging eight points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds. In the last matchup versus Brockport, Jung played a team-high 38 minutes, scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
If the Golden Eagles win on Saturday, they will advance to the Empire 8 semifinals on Feb. 26, which will also be at home. With home-court advantage and two previous wins over Elmira this season, the Golden Eagles will look to keep the momentum going. Tipoff for this first round action is scheduled for 2 p.m.
