ALFRED, NY – Sophomore forward Bri Hicks (Burlington, VT/Ithaca) scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed a tea-high 10 rebounds (six offense, four defense) as the Alfred University women's basketball team fell to Empire 8 foe Elmira College 69-53 Saturday evening.
 
The Saxons (2-15, 0-9) got a spark off the bench as first-year guard Lyndsey McCoy (Middleburgh, NY/Middleburgh Central) chipped in 14 points while first-year guard Amanda Figueroa (Cypress, TX/Rosehill Christian) grabbed nine rebounds.
 
"I thought Brianna played a great game for us tonight," said Head Coach Monique McLean. "As a team, we have to do a better job of finishing every possession with a defensive rebound and defending without fouling. The things that we need to improve on are things that we can change and we will continue to work at it.
 
Rachel Vespucci got the game started for the Soaring Eagles with an and-one. Alfred responded as Hicks scored her first two points to make it 3-2 with just over a minute gone in the first quarter. Elmira tried to create separation in the quarter as Lindsey Heaton hit the first of two free throw attempts to make it 9-6. On the following possession, McCoy drained her three-point shot to tie it up with 3:47 to go in the quarter. The Soaring Eagles closed out the quarter on a 9-2 run.
 
The Saxons found themselves down by as many as 11 points in the second quarter before they went on a 9-0 run to make it 23-21 in favor of Elmira. The teams would trade baskets before the Soaring Eagles were able to take a 41-29 lead into halftime.
 
The Saxons continued to fight in the second half as they erased a 13-point deficit to cut in within six points as sophomore guard Jamie Wilcox (Forestville, NY/Pine Valley) converted both of her free throw attempts to make it 46-40 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Elmira would take a 52-44 lead into the final frame.
 
The Soaring Eagles were led by Danielle Cleary with 20 points with Vespucci grabbing 13 rebounds.
 
Elmira held the slight advantage in points off turnovers (16-15), bench points (21-19) and points in the