HAMBURG, NY—The Alfred University men's basketball team (4-1, E8 0-0) made easy work of the Hilbert Hawks, 91-74, on the road behind junior
Eric Adams' (Lebanon, NJ/Hunterdon Central) fourth double-double of the season.
Adams led the Saxons with 18 points and 11 rebounds while three other AU players scored double-digit points. Juniors
Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary),
Julian Reinhart (Hornell, NY/Hornell) and sophomore
Dalton Cousin (Sherill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill) had 17, 12 and 14 points, respectively. Cousin's 14 points is a career-high for him, eclipsing his 10-point performance against Summit University on November 21.
The Saxons trailed Hilbert for the first five minutes of the game, but earned a lead, 14-12, on a jumper by sophomore
Tristin Hook (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown North). After that point the Saxons would not let the Hawks take the lead again. With the lead, AU went on an 8-2 run to create a cushion heading into the half. After the first buzzer, the Saxons held a 45-35 lead.
At the end of the first period Adams had already accumulated his double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 points of 5-of-6 shooting from the field. The Saxons shot 21-of-41 (51.2%) as a team in the first half, while holding Hilbert to only 15-of-35 (42.9%) shooting.
With a large lead heading into the second period, AU was able to put the game on cruise control and put the Hawks away. Adams continued his spectacular afternoon, shooting 4-of-4 in the second half. Seelman and Reinhart also shot lights out in the second stanza, hitting 4-of-5 shots (1-of-1 from long range) and 3-of-3 shots from the field, respectively. By the final whistle, AU held a 91-74 advantage over their opponents.
Jerame Owens led the Hawks with 14 points and eight rebounds. The Saxons offense was an unstoppable machine on the afternoon, making 38-of-67 (56.7%) shots, a season-high as a team. Senior
Jerry Kincel (Moosic, PA/Riverside) paced the Saxons with four assists on the afternoon.
With the win, AU has won three games in a row and will look to continue the streak Tuesday when the Saxons travel to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils at 8PM.