SaxonTV Play of the Week | Empire 8 Play of the Week

ALFRED, NY – Senior guard Nick Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean) knocked down a corner three-pointer in the closing seconds as the Alfred University men's basketball team erased an 11-point halftime deficit to beat visiting Nazareth College and clinch a spot in the Empire 8 tournament Tuesday evening at the Galanis Family Arena.
 
Schmidt led the Saxons (17-6, 10-4 Empire 8) with 19 points and junior forward Sage Brown (Cortland, NY/Cortland) added 18 points. Senior forward Dalton Cousin (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) chipped in 13 points while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
 
It was a hard fought contest in the first eight minutes as neither team was able to gain much of an advantage. Brown helped the Alfred gain a three-point advantage when he made back-to-back layups to earn the lead 13-12 with 13:14 to go in the first half. The Golden Flyers were able to find some offense with just over five minutes to go in the half scoring seven unanswered to make it 29-23. Nazareth took a 38-27 lead into half.
 
Nazareth saw their lead grow to as many as 17 points in the second half before Alfred was able to swing the momentum. With Alfred trailing 54-37, first-year forward Jeremiah Zitz (Irondequoit, NY/Irondequoit) knocked down a jumper which helped the Saxons score seven unanswered including a three-pointer from sophomore guard Derek Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean) to make it 54-44. Derek Schmidt was able to cut Nazareth's lead to single digits as he knocked down another shot from beyond the arc with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation.
 
With only :21 left on the clock, Nick Schmidt was able to make it a single possession game as he knocked won both of his free-throw attempts to cut the deficit to two, 86-84. Nazareth maintained its lead as Alfred was forced to foul. Brandon Wind was sent to the line for Nazareth to try and make it a two possession game but was unsuccessful missing the backend of his free-throw opportunity.
 
"It was an unbelievable atmosphere in the second half, the crowd really rallied behind us when we made a couple of buckets," Head Coach Russell Phillips said. "We were in that situation the other day against Sage and our guys were doing a really good job just taking it one possession at a time and making sure we took the shot that we want."
 
The Saxons regained possession and Nick Schmidt was forced to the line once again. Nick Schmidt converted on both of his free-throws to make it 87-86 with :12 remaining. As the Golden Flyers were set to throw the ball in, Brown as able to intercept the pass and dish it out to Stopera where he found Nick Schmidt in the corner for the dagger. Nazareth had an opportunity in the final second but Daniel Jacob's shot came up short.
 
"That was a big game," said Nick Schmidt after making the game-winning shot. "A lot of grit and a lot of heart was shown from this team. The crowd was awesome and helped Nazareth miss a lot of free throws."
 
Nazareth was led by Tyler Stenflein as he finished with 30 points while Jake Burgio chipped in 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, respectively.
 
The Saxons took advantage of the turnovers and outscored Nazareth, (21-13) while also having the edge in second chance opportunities (9-2).
 
The Saxons hit the road this Friday, February 16, as they take on Utica College at 6 PM.