HOUGHTON, NY – The visiting Alfred University men's basketball team erased a 13-point halftime deficit but fell just short against Empire 8 Conference opponent Houghton College, 87-86, Saturday evening in the Saxons' season finale.
 
The Saxons (10-15, 7-9 Empire 8) trailed at intermission, 47-34, then opened up the second half on a 22-5 run to take a 56-52 lead with 12:44 remaining in regulation. The run was fueled by two three pointers by senior guard Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary).

Alfred outscored Houghton 52-40 in the second half, courtesy of a flurry of three-point field goals, with the Saxons connecting on 13 of 22 long-range shots after intermission. For the game, AU made 18 three-point shots, with Seelman making nine (seven in the second half) on his way to scoring a team-high 29 points. Seelman's nine three-pointers tied an 18-year-old school single-game record first set by Steve Filosa in a February 1999 game against Elmira.

Alfred was able to tie the game at 84 with 1:21 remaining on a three-point shot by sophomore guard Dom LeMorta (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville). Houghton took an 87-84 lead on a three-point shot by Phil Pellegrino with 59 seconds remaining. Alfred had a chance to tie the game late, but the clock ran out on the Saxons after a late lay-up made it 87-86.

LeMorta finished with 18 points, going six-for-nine from three-point range. Sophomore forward Sage Brown (Cortland, NY/Cortland) finished with nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
 
Dylan Lambert led Houghton with 41 points, going 13-for-20 from the floor (five-for-seven on three pointers) and grabbing eight rebounds. Johnathan Stowe added 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists, respectively. 

Seelman, who broke the school career record for three-point field goals last weekend against Stevens, finishes his career with 263 made shots from behind the arc.