ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team wrapped up their opening week of action with a 57-47 win over Buffalo State College on Saturday afternoon from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
The Saxons (2-0, 0-0 Empire 8) have now defeated the Bengals (0-1, 0-0 SUNYAC) in each of their last 3 meetings dating back to the 2018-19 season.
Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) led AU with a team-high 12 points to go with 5 rebounds and a steal.
Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) scored 11 points off the bench along with 5 boards.
Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) ended the game with 7 points, 4 rebounds, a block and a steal.
"We talked about being the more composed team early on and I thought we did a good job of that," Head Coach
Mike Moskowitz said. "We gave ourselves a cushion by being up by 12 after the first quarter. We struggled guarding 1-on-1 on the perimeter against some of their players, but really did a nice job limiting the players we focused on. We were unselfish in spurts tonight, which led to the balanced scoring, but still need to make simple passes to get simple scores."
The Bengals took an early lead in the opening quarter, but 3-point plays from Stewart and
Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) gave the advantage back to AU. The Saxons relied on four different players to score as part of a 11-0 run before taking a 20-8 lead going into the second quarter.
Buffalo State opened scoring in the second quarter, but a layup from Felker brought Alfred University's lead back to double-digit figures. The Saxons ended the first half on an 8-1 run across the final four minutes of action before going into the break with a 30-18 lead.
Three-point shots from Stewart and
Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) to begin the second half extended the lead for the Saxons. Moments later, a layup from
Mackenzie Cannon (Odessa, NY/Odessa Montour) was followed by a pair of free throws from Chest to give AU a game-high 22-point advantage. The Bengals outscored the Saxons in the final quarter, but AU relied on points from five different players to hold on for the win.
"We'll enjoy our day off and get back to it Monday, fixing some thing we have to improve on," Moskowitz said.
Alfred University will next host Alfred State College on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 PM.
