Spartans Drop MSAC Road Contest to JCC

The Cayuga Community College Women's Basketball Team couldn't overcome a difficult shooting night and their opponent's strong second half in a road loss to conference foe Jefferson Community College on Tuesday.

Trailing by only three points at halftime, the Cayuga Spartans couldn't keep pace with the Cannoneers (6-6, 3-0) in the third and fourth quarters, ultimately falling 74-52 for their first loss in Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) competition. The loss drops the Spartans' overall record to 5-7 and 1-1 in the conference.

A slow start left Cayuga behind by eight points after the first quarter, but the Spartans fought back to trail 26-23 at halftime. Cayuga scored first to cut the lead to one in the third quarter, but the Cannoneers clamped down defensively, holding the Spartans scoreless for several minutes as they built a double-digit lead.

The Spartans struggled from the field, and were unable to cut into Jefferson's lead in the fourth quarter.

Cayuga Coach Jim Alberici said the Spartans played well in stretches, but weren't able to string together consistent play throughout the game.

"We've battled inconsistency all season. We have to find a way to put 40 minutes together," said Alberici. "We'll have some good stretches followed by bad. Jefferson is a good team. They won the conference last year, so I knew this wasn't going to be easy by any stretch. The effort is always there for us, we just need to be more consistent."

Gretchen Earl continued her strong play for Cayuga, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds. Tanyea Jansson scored 13 points and had six rebounds, and Tori Mandel led Cayuga with 10 rebounds and added six points and six assists.

The Spartans return to their home court on Thursday, January 16, to play the SUNY Broome Community College Hornets (5-8, 2-0). Tip-off is 5 p.m.