ALFRED, NY – A dominant fourth quarter effort from the Alfred University women's basketball team resulted in a 66-56 victory over Utica University on Saturday afternoon from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.

The Saxons (13-12, 8-8 Empire 8) secured a program-high eighth conference victory in their efforts. The defense held the Pioneers (19-6, 10-6 Empire 8) to 14.3 percent from three-point range.

Alfred University was led by the efforts of Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell), who totaled a career-high 21 points along with seven rebounds. Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) totaled 11 points, three boards and two assists. Ana Ion (Bucharest, Romania/Episcopal School of Jacksonville) finished with 10 points.

"Honestly, I'm so proud of and thankful for this group and their efforts," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "Being down by 16 points in the final minutes of the third quarter is tough. We were struggling to defend and couldn't get shots to fall. However, what a show of resilience by our group with a 28-2 run to finish the game. We got it done on both ends and it all started with that 6-0 run at the end of the third quarter."

Harkenrider set the tone for the Saxons offensively in the early stages of the first quarter, scoring the team's opening five points. A 10-1 run for Utica had AU trailing by as many as six points. Late shots from Harkenrider and Ion left the Saxons trailing 20-16 entering the second quarter. A layup from Gillian Flint (Caldedonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) was followed by a three-point shot from Harkenrider, as Alfred took a brief one-point lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half. Each team traded successful shots throughout the quarter, but four late points from Utica had AU behind 34-30 at halftime.

The Pioneers opened the second half with a 7-0 run to extend their lead. Utica piled on additional pressure with another 7-0 run, as Alfred trailed by a game-high 16 points. O'Toole sparked a 6-0 run for the Saxons to close out the third quarter, but AU was still behind 54-44 entering the fourth quarter.

Harkenrider hit back-to-back three-point shots to open the fourth quarter, cutting AU's deficit down to four points. Four straight points from Anne Spila (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) was followed by a layup from Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville), tying the game with 6:52 remaining. A jump shot from O'Toole moments later gave the Saxons their first lead of the second half. Alfred University scored eight additional points during their run to disance their lead and secure the victory.

"We knew it would be tough to get into the playoffs after the results of last week," Moskowitz said. "We talked about finishing strong, focusing on ourselves, and playing for our pride. We did just that. I'm proud of our ladies and all their hard work this year."

This season for Alfred University marks the first time they did not advance to the playoffs but had a winning record since the 1996-97 season; a time in which the Saxons were represented by the PAC (President's Athletic Conference).