ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team celebrated senior day in style, as the Saxons tallied an impressive 20 steals in a 62-48 victory over Keuka from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena Wednesday night.
 
Alfred improves to 2-2 (2-1 Empire 8), while Keuka falls to 0-5 (0-5 Empire 8).
 
The Saxons tallied a season-high 20 steals and forced 27 Keuka turnovers in the winning effort. Offensively, the Saxons shot just 34.2 percent (26-of-76) from the field but tallied 21 offensive rebounds.
 
Individually, it was a balanced scoring effort led by the rookies. Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) tallied 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, adding six rebounds and four steals. Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) also tallied a team-high 11 points, adding three rebounds. Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central) notched 10 points for the second time this season, adding three rebounds and three steals. Junior Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) chipped in nine points and five rebounds, while senior guard Lyndsey McCoy (Middleburgh, NY/Middleburgh Central) added eight points and nine rebounds. Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) added a career-best five steals.
 
Meaghan McGwin tallied a game-high 15 points to lead the Wolves, shooting 7-for-12 from the field. Sydney Bloom added 10 points and five rebounds.
 
"I liked our effort, especially defensively against Keuka," said head coach Mike Moskowitz. "We were active on defense, we rotated, and the with the high tempo and number of deflections, we knew that we'd wear them down over time. Offensively, I liked how we responded to their zone. We were creative with our cuts, and we found different ways to score."
 
Before the contest, the Saxons honored their three seniors, McCoy, forward Kelley Andrews (Randolph, NY/Pine Valley), guard/forward Amanda Figueroa (Cypress, TX/Rosehill Christian). A touching pregame virtual tribute set the tone, as the parents joined the team in honoring the seniors via Zoom. Once the ball was tipped, both teams allowed the seniors on the other team to score two points to begin the game, as Keuka also honored senior Michaela Marrero.
 
"We owe quite a bit of gratitude to them, Moskowitz said. They stayed the course through not-so-great times here. They showed up, stayed positive, trying to uplift their teammates and keeping them mentally strong. They're some of the most kind-hearted people that I know, and we are forever thankful for them. The future success of our program will be tied to the commitment and sacrifices they made."
 
Once the seniors got their points, the game started in earnest, and Keuka took control of the game, taking a six-point, 24-18 lead midway through the second quarter. Welty responded with a pair of jumpers and sophomore guard Rebecca Jewett (Nyack, NY/Nyack) added a running jumper to tie the game at 24. The Saxons weren't done. The team tallied nine consecutive points before Bloom broke the run with a deep 3-pointer to end the first half with the Saxons holding a 33-27 lead.
 
Keuka hit a pair of jumpers to reduce Alfred's lead to two, but it was as close as the Wolves would get the rest of the way. McCoy hit a jumper and Harkenrider knocked down a 3-pointer, beginning a massive 22-2 run between the second and third quarters, giving Alfred its biggest lead of the game at 22, 55-33. The Wolves cut down the deficit throughout the fourth quarter, reducing the deficit to 12 in the game's final minutes. With seconds remaining and the seniors back in the game, Figueroa fed Andrews with a lazer pass in the paint, as Andrews beat the clock and flicked the ball in the net as the team celebrated on the court.
 
The Saxons host St. John Fisher College in their penultimate home contest of the shortened spring campaign, Saturday at 2 p.m.