ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University men's basketball team opened their season with a 58-51 win over Clarks Summit University as part of the Special Tees Tipoff Classic on Friday night from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
The Saxons (1-0, 0-0 Empire 8) held the Defenders (0-1, 0-0 United East) to 28.6 percent from the field while forcing 21 turnovers.
Franlys Valenzuela (Sanitago de los Cabelleros, Dominican Republic/San Ysidro) led Alfred University with 13 points to go with 6 rebounds and a block.
Adam Enders (Belfast, NY/Belfast) opened the season with a game-high 20 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the field.
Kenneth Allison Jr (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) stuffed the box score with 8 points, 3 assists, 3 boards and 2 steals for AU.
I'm proud of our guys for finding a way to win on a night we obviously struggled on the offensive end," Head Coach
Erich Kaempffe said. "We'll get back to work and try to get some things cleaned up for a really well-coached Merchant Marine team tomorrow."
A jump shot from Allison Jr was quickly followed by a 3-point shot by Valenzuela to give the Saxons their first lead of the evening in the early stages of the opening half. The offense found a spark thanks to Enders, as he was responsible for 3 consecutive shots from 3-point territory to have the Saxons leading by as many as 6 points halfway through the first half. Back-to-back layups from Valenzuela were followed by a pair of free throws from Allison Jr to give Alfred University their first double-digit advantage of the evening. The Defenders ended the first half on a brief 5-0 run, but the Saxons still led 32-26 going into the break.
The defense for AU stood tall to begin the second half, as they held Clarks Summit scoreless for the first 8 minutes of action. A scoring drought for the Saxons allowed the Defenders to take a competitive 1-point lead with just over 6 minutes to play. Following 4 lead changes, AU relied on baskets from 4 different players to take back the lead and eventually secure the win.
Alfred University will next head across the street to face the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Alfred State on Saturday at 2:00 PM.
