ALFRED, NY – A 22-point third quarter effort from the Alfred University women's basketball team led to a 59-56 victory over Nazareth College on Friday evening from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
The Saxons (12-12, 7-8 Empire 8) secured their first victory against the Golden Flyers (15-9, 10-5 Empire 8) since the 2011 season. AU held Nazareth to 32.3 percent from the field in their efforts.
Ana Ion (Bucharest, Romania/Episcopal School of Jacksonville) led the Saxons with her fifth double-double of the season, totaling 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central) totaled nine points and six boards.
Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) and
Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) each finished with eight points.
"I was really impressed with our focus throughout this week," Head Coach
Mike Moskowitz said. "We did a great of going out and competing. We knew we could beat a team like Nazareth, but I'm proud of the way we executed."
Alfred University relied on the efforts of Ion and Welty in the first half, as each of them totaled five points and six rebounds. Each team traded continuous shots, leaving the Saxons to trail 23-18 at halftime. Consecutive free throws from
Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) sparked a 9-0 run for Alfred in the third quarter. A three-point shot from Flint resulted in the team's first lead of the second half. A late jump shot from Welty had AU leading 40-36 entering the fourth quarter.
AU set the tone in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, as a jump shot from Harkenrider was followed by a three-point shot from
Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer). A layup from
Rebecca Jewett (Nyack, NY/Nyack) had the Saxons leading by a game-high 11 points with 7:21 remaining. The Golden Flyers responded with an 11-0 run, tying the game with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter. Nazareth briefly held a two-point lead before a three-point shot from Flint gave AU the one-point advantage. The Saxons made five of their final six free throws to secure the victory.
"We need to carry the same energy and momentum going into tomorrow," Moskowitz said. "We have enjoyed our time together and have begun to play loose. We will worry about ourselves going into tomorrow and hope to execute to the same level we did today."
Alfred University will next host Utica University on Saturday in their final regular season game. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
