Cayuga Falls to Conference Leader OCC

The Cayuga Community College Women's Basketball Team built an early lead, but conference leader Onondaga Community College ultimately secured the win Saturday at Spartan Hall.

The Spartans held a one-point lead after the first quarter and trailed by only six points at halftime, but the Lazers (18-3, 6-0) took control in the final two quarters, winning 74-54. The loss drops Cayuga to 7-9 overall and 3-3 in the Mid-State Athletic Conference.

Coach Jim Alberici was proud of the Spartans' effort, saying that one scoreless stretch to start the third quarter made it difficult for Cayuga to catch one of the stronger teams in the country.

"We knew going in it would be tough. We played really hard and came out with lots of energy and confidence, and even in the second quarter we were right with them. I thought we controlled the tempo of the game for the most part. We did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win," he said. "We battled, but that stretch in the third quarter made it difficult."

Overcoming a streak of cold starts, the Spartans held an early 12-7 lead and led 14-13 after one quarter. The Lazers carried a 33-27 lead into halftime.

The Lazers held Cayuga scoreless for close to six minutes to start the second half, and the lead grew to almost 20 points. The Lazers led by 15 points at the end of the third quarter, and continued to build the lead in the final quarter.

Fatimaah Findley led Cayuga with 16 points, while forwards Gretchen Earl and Jania Freeman each finished with 11 points. Freeman also had 10 rebounds and five assists, while Earl had seven rebounds and four steals. Tori Mandel added nine points for the Spartans.

The Spartans return to the road on Wednesday, January 29, at Corning Community College. Cayuga defeated Corning 64-49 earlier this season. Tip-off is 5 p.m.