SaxonTV YouTube Recap | Empire 8 Play of the Week

ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University men's basketball team defeated the Kangaroos of SUNY Canton on Saturday afternoon. The Saxons (6-1, 0-0 Empire 8) continue their hot start to the season with the 76-57 victory.
 
Alfred came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, as they went on a 15-0 run to begin the game. The Saxons did not allow a SUNY Canton bucket until the 14:42 mark in the first half. Three pointers from Dom LeMorta (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville) and Cole Eells (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) helped propel AU to the early advantage.
 
The Saxons eventually went up as many as 21 points in the later portion of the first half and ended up heading to the locker room with a 39-24 lead.
 
"Excellent team effort tonight. We shared the ball, passed up good shots for great shots and really defended as a unit," Head Coach Russell Phillips said.
 
The Kangaroos settled down in the second half and established an offensive rhythm to get themselves back into the contest. Fastbreak layups and free throws helped Canton cut the lead to just 10 with 14:21 to play.
 
From that point, the Saxons regained the momentum and cruised through the remainder of the second thanks to some sharp passes in the paint from Sage Brown (Cortland, NY/Cortland). Layups from Brown and lock-down defense inside from Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) helped push the Alfred lead back up to 21 and played a role in securing the Saxon victory.  
 
"We need to keep the energy and edge we have been bringing to finish the semester strong next Saturday," said Phillips.
 
LeMorta led the scoring for AU with 20 points, which had four players score in double figures. Brown added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Eells chipped in 15 points, all from behind the arc, where he shot 5-8. Marshall had 12 points and two huge blocks on the defensive end. Scotty Stopera (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) led AU with six assists.
 
Alfred will be on the road at SUNY Cobleskill next Saturday at 2PM for its final game before the semester break.