ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team stepped up in the second half and held on to defeat Oswego State 74-67 on Tuesday evening from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
Five players scored double-digit points for the Saxons (2-0) in the victory. AU also held Oswego State (0-1) to just 30 points in the second half.

Junior guard Ana Ion (Bucharest, Romania/Episcopal School of Jacksonville) compiled a double-double that consisted of 12 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) totaled 12 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) finished with 11 points and six boards.

"We had some difficulty containing their dribble in the full court, so we changed that up and strung together some stops in the second quarter," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "That kind of stemmed the tide and helped us when we were really struggling. That gave us confidence going into halftime to just piece together a stop and a good offensive possession. We came out with a steady mindset in the second half and just kind of went possession-by-possession and ultimately won with toughness and discipline."

Early shots from the Saxons in the first quarter resulted in an opening 7-2 run for the early lead. The Lakers quickly closed the gap, tying the game at the 4:22 mark of the first quarter. A late jumper from first-year Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) gave Alfred the 17-15 lead entering the second quarter. 

Oswego State set the pace with a 13-0 run to open the second quarter, as the Saxons retaliated with five consecutive free throws from the combined efforts of senior guard Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) and junior guard Rebecca Jewett (Nyack, NY/Nyack). The Lakers continued to place pressure on AU, holding onto a 37-27 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Alfred University put together a 9-0 run, highlighted by five points from Flint. Points from Jewett, Rittenhouse, and Stewart to close the third quarter left the Saxons only trailing by a single point.

"Felicia provided us some great minutes there in the second half that really gave us life," Moskowitz said. "She had that "coach, trust me" look and truly seemed to enjoy the challenged of playing in this big game. She came up big and delivered. I'm very happy for her and her hard work is paying off."

The Saxons grabbed their first lead of the second half at the 9:44 mark of the fourth quarter, as another 9-0 run was strung together thanks to successful three-point shots from Flint, O'Toole, and sophomore guard Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central). AU hit seven of their final eight free throw attempts to secure the victory.

"I love that we've found a way to win two totally different games against two solid teams," Moskowitz said. "We're excited to get back to work tomorrow to prepare for Grove City."

Alfred University will travel to play Grove City College in the first round of the Behrend Tip Off Tournament on Friday at Penn State Behrend.