HOUGHTON, N.Y.- It may not have been raining outside but it was pouring in Nielsen this evening as Houghton women's hoops defeated Nazareth in a key Empire 8 conference matchup, 73-64, on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
 
This evening marks the first time the Highlanders have beaten the Golden Flyers as a member of the Empire 8 conference. In what proven to be the Highlanders kryptonite in past games, the second quarter was Houghton's defining moment of the game, winning the quarter 23-6.
 
Although offense seemed to come easy for the Highlanders, their defense was just as efficient, holding Empire 8 Conference leading scorer, Samantha Peebles, to 13 points, more than 6 points below her average.
 
Houghton was led by junior Leslie Moose who notched a career-high 18 points shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from the downtown. Juniors Emily Swanson and Brittany Lenart followed up with 16 points and 13 points, respectively.
 
 GAME VITALS                          
Score: Houghton -73 | Nazareth - 64
Records: Houghton - 12-9, 8-4 Empire 8 | Nazareth – 11-11, 7-6 Empire 8
Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY | Attendance: 173
 
NOTABLE STATS
>> Houghton celebrated senior night in honor of Laurie Call (five points and four assists) and Stephanie McMahon (two points and two assists).
 
>> The Highlanders won the battle of the boards out-rebounding the Golden Flyers, 30-24.
 
>> Rachel Benedict led Nazareth with 23 points followed by Erica Bradley who collected 13 points along with Peebles.
 
>> The hoop must have looked like an ocean because the Highlanders could not miss shooting 63% from the field and 61.5% from behind the arch on the game.
 
>> The second quarter sparked such a hot-streak shooting 75% from the field and 80% from the 3-point line while only allowing Nazareth to shoot 3-for-16 from the field (18.8%) and 0-for-7 from behind the arch.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders are on the road to face No. 2 Sage, in what will be a battle for the number 2 spot, on February 9^th at 8:00 PM.