ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team held on in the second half during their 70-62 win over Hiram College in the first round of the Alfred Tip-Off Classic on Saturday from the Orvis Gymnasium.

Four players scored 10 or more points for the Saxons (4-1) in the victory. AU also held the Terriers (2-4) to 34.3 percent from the field and 28 percent from deep.

Sophomore guard Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central) finished with a team-high 17 points along with five rebounds. Junior guard Ana Ion (Bucharest, Romania/Episcopal School of Jacksonville) compiled a double-double performance that consisted of 14 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Sophomore guard Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) totaled 15 points across a team-high four made shots from three-point range. Sophomore guard Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) scored 10 points to go with four boards and an assist.

"I'm very proud of our effort today," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "We really locked in defensively in the second half and dominated the rebounding ratios. We set the tone with regards to pace early and that wore them down over 40 minutes. We did a great job passing up "good" shots instead of attacking closeouts and getting in the paint. That led to tons of "great" kick-outs for three, which we converted at a pretty good rate, and some free throw opportunities, which we did not. We missed 18 free throws today and still managed to fight to get the win. I'll take the win every day of the week, but obviously we need to shoot it significantly better from the line moving forward."

The Saxons felt pressure early on from the Terriers, who shot 53.8 from the field in the opening quarter. Ion led the team with a team-high four points, two of which came from the free throw line, as Alfred University trailed 21-13 entering the second quarter. AU opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run across the first three minutes of action, cutting their deficit down to a single point. Hiram answered with an 8-0 run of their own that was ended from a three-point shot from senior guard Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley). Each side took turns making shots to finish the half, as the Saxons trailed 33-31 entering the break.

A three-point shot from Rittenhouse at the 8:54 mark of the third quarter permitted Alfred University with their first lead of the game. Rittenhouse scored the team's following six points to open the quarter, as the Saxons led by as many as six points. Ion scored the team's closing five points of the quarter, as AU led 51-49 at the end of the third quarter. Hiram tied the game quickly in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but Welty answered by scoring the team's opening six points. The Saxons relied on back-to-back three-point shots from Rittenhouse to lead by as many as seven points. O'Toole successfully made four free throws in the final minutes to lead the way for the victory.

"I think we need to come out tomorrow locked in defensively," Moskowitz said. "We need a high level of focus, communicate at a high rate, and be on our toes ready to get stops and run. We're excited to get back after it tomorrow to finish up our first semester of play!"

Alfred University will host SUNY Delhi on Sunday with tip-off scheduled at 2:00 PM to conclude the Alfred Tip-Off Classic.