ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team pushed its record to an even .500 on the season with a 10 point victory over Oswego State on Saturday afternoon. The Saxons (4-4, 0-0 Empire 8) defeated the Lakers by a score of 78-68 in the final game of the semester.
 
"I am proud of this group and their resiliency," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "We talked about coming out swinging right from the tip on our home court for the last 40 minutes together before the game."
 
AU jumped out to a quick 8-0 start, putting backcourt pressure on Oswego State to force turnovers and turn them into easy layups. The Lakers quickly settled down, scoring the next six points before the teams began trading buckets for the remainder of the first quarter, which ended with the teams tied at 18.
 
"We executed our defense perfectly the first few possessions and got out to a quick 8-0 lead," Moskowitz said.
 
The second period began the same as the first for the Saxons as they went on an 8-0 run to take a 26-18 lead after two minutes of play. Two three-pointers from Lyndsey McCoy (Middleburgh, NY/Middleburgh Central) helped to extend the Alfred lead to as many as 10 just before the five minute mark of the quarter. The Lakers were able to cut that lead in half thanks to some AU foul trouble and bring the score to 36-31 heading into the half.
 
The third quarter began with Oswego State getting some good looks inside and cutting the lead down to just one with 6:14 left in the period. Jamie Wilcox (Forestville, NY/Pine Valley) then took over, converting six fast break points along with Katlyn Boland (New York, NY/ A. Phillip Randolph) adding a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer to make it 62-52 after three.
 
The Saxons buckled down their defense in the final quarter, allowing just 16 points from the Lakers. Oswego State converted on a couple of Alfred turnovers to cut the lead back down to down to five with 2:19 left to play but a timely three from McCoy with 2:02 on the clock put AU back up by eight and forced the Lakers to foul and stop the clock in the remaining minutes. The Saxons converted seven of 10 free throws in those final two minutes to secure the victory.
 
McCoy had a breakout game for the Saxons, scoring 19 points, including four three-pointers while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Wilcox also had 19 while grabbing two steals on the defensive end. Boland scored 13 while going 2-4 from beyond the arc. Bri Hicks (Burlington, VT/Ithaca) chipped in 11 while grabbing seven rebounds. Hicks also had two blocked shots and two steals. Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/ Simi Valley) was the fifth Saxon in double figures with 10 points. Chanice Battle (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) grabbed six boards on the afternoon, including five on the defensive end late in the game.
 
"Kudos to Oswego, who finished the first half strong and essentially hung around all game," Moskowitz said.  Really pleased with how we kept playing aggressively and confidently throughout. Our togetherness and perseverance earned us a great win to be .500 heading into the holiday break."
 
The Saxons will travel to Grove City Pennsylvania for a matchup with Grove City College on January 5^th before opening up conference play the following week.