Spartans Lose Home Heartbreaker to Herkimer
The Cayuga Community College Women's Basketball Team lost a heartbreaker at home on Sunday, falling one or two baskets short of upsetting one of the top teams in Region III.
Leading for almost the entire first half, the Spartans battled through the second half before losing 64-61 to the Herkimer Generals (15-4, 7-1), who are ranked 10th nationally and are seeded second in the Region III standings. The non-conference loss drops Cayuga to 7-11 overall. They remain 3-4 in the Mid-State Athletic Conference.
"We played really well. I'm extremely proud of our effort. We came ready to play, and led after the first quarter and going into halftime," said Cayuga Coach Jim Alberici. "Even after we fell behind later in the game, we fought back to take the lead. It would have been easy to rollover and give up after falling behind. We didn't do that."
The Spartans relied on their advantage in the post to stake themselves to a 22-15 lead in the first quarter. Forwards Jania Freeman and Gretchen Earl combined for 17 points in the opening quarter, and Cayuga took a 31-28 lead into halftime.
Herkimer fought back in the third quarter, outscoring Cayuga by seven to take a four-point lead. That lead grew to nine points, but the Spartans came back to take a short lead before a Herkimer three-pointer put the Generals back in front.
The Spartans cut the lead to two with about a minute left, but a Cayuga three-pointer rimmed out and the Generals made two free throws to secure the win.
Freeman led Cayuga with 24 points, adding nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Earl finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Fatimaah Findley had 13 points and six rebounds.
Cayuga takes on Jefferson Community College (10-7, 6-1) on Wednesday, February 5, at Spartan Hall. Jefferson defeated Cayuga 74-52 earlier this season. Tip-off Wednesday is 5 p.m.