ROCHESTER, NY- The Alfred University women's basketball team played hard on both ends but fell by a 76-62 score to #2 St. John Fisher College in the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals on Tuesday from the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.
The Saxons totaled 38 rebounds, 14 of which were on the offensive end. Alfred finished 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the free throw line. The Saxons forced the Cardinals to 21 turnovers.
Alfred relied on first-year guard
Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central), who finished with a season-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds. First-year guard
Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) totaled 14 points and seven boards. Senior guard
Lyndsey McCoy (Middleburgh, NY/Middleburgh Central) added 14 points, as the Saxons finished 30.8 percent (20-of-65) from the field.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to be around this group every day," Head Coach
Mike Moskowtiz said. "We are so thankful to have gone through 50 practices and 10 total games. If you told us we'd be able to complete our season back in the fall, I would've thought you were joking. We owe a major thank you to our campus administration,
Paul Vecchio,
Tony Aquilina, Chuck Mitrano and Joe Venniro for giving us that opportunity and providing great leadership through a really tough few months."
The Cardinals were led by junior guard Miranda Lynch, who ended with 19 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Sam Fischer contributed with 14 points off the bench, as St. John Fisher finished 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the field.
The offense for St. John Fisher clicked in the early stages of the first quarter, but six points and three steals from Rittenhouse kept the game within reach. Four points from Welty in the final 1:40 of the quarter placed the Saxons in an 18-10 deficit. Rittenhouse continued to find success from beyond the arc in the second quarter, tallying an additional six points for Alfred. McCoy was responsible for six points and two steals, as the Saxons trailed 36-28 at the half.
On opening 14-5 run by the Cardinals in the second half extended their lead. The Saxons retaliated with 10 points from the charity stripe but fell behind 57-40 entering the final quarter. Alfred created offensive momentum, as a 9-0 run with under six minutes remaining forced the Cardinals to call a timeout. A three-point shot from junior guard
Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley), followed by a layup from
Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) turned it into an eight-point deficit with 1:37 remaining. St. John Fisher followed it up with a three-point shot of their own, ending Alfred's chance at a come-from-behind victory.
"Our team has been fearless and love being together," Moskowitz said. "We got so much better this year and a lot of it is thanks to our student-athletes buy-in and commitment level. We certainly weren't perfect, but a lot more often than not, we avoided putting ourselves and others in compromised situations with regards to group gatherings. They showed up every single day with a focus and determination to work hard and play together."
"The leadership and steadiness our seniors provided through these three years is so underrated," Moskowitz said. "They have come in with a positive energy and focus every day on and off the ourt and have helped set a great foundation for our program for years to come."
