Posted: Jan 23, 2019

Spartans Drop Close Contest To SUNY Broome

Cayuga's Hanna Keyser (24) and Erica Helzer bring the ball up the court against Jefferson Community College. Keyser and Helzer led the team in scoring against the Cannoneers.

The Cayuga Women's Basketball Team couldn't quite overcome a tough first quarter, falling to SUNY Broome in their second Mid-State Athletic Conference game of 2019.

The Spartans played three strong quarters against the Hornets, but were unable to overcome a 24-14 first quarter deficit, falling 88-75 in the road contest. The loss drops Cayuga's overall record to 5-6 and 0-2 in the conference.

Coach Jim Alberici said scoring 75 points would usually be enough to win, but the team is missing several players, which has hurt the Spartans' defensive options.

"We're playing hard. I have no problem with our effort, and everyone is staying together as we go through this rough patch. We're battling through some fatigue and foul trouble. We'll find a way to win one and get going in the right direction," he said. "We're not even halfway through our season yet, so there's plenty of time to win some games and build momentum."

After the slow start in the first quarter, the Spartans played SUNY Broome almost even for the rest of the contest. Erica Helzer led the Spartans with 30 points, making 5 of 12 three-pointers. Hanna Keyser added 13 points, while Keyser and Breayle Williams paced the Spartans with 9 rebounds apiece.

Two days before falling to SUNY Broome, the Spartans dropped a home conference game to Jefferson Community College by a 97-43 score.

This time, the Spartans started strong against a tough conference opponent, trailing only 19-18 after the first quarter. The Cannoneers put up 33 points in the second quarter, though, and the Spartans were not able to catch up.

"They're a very good team. We knew that would be a tough game going into it. We played well in the first quarter, and then it got away from us a bit," said Alberici.

Helzer and Keyser again led the Spartans in scoring, with 21 and 11 points, respectively. Loren Clifford grabbed 10 boards for Cayuga.

The Spartans have three games coming up in four days, with contests scheduled for Jan. 23 at Tompkins-Cortland Community College, a home game against North Country Community College on Jan. 24 and another road game, this time at Onondaga Community College, on Jan. 26.