ALFRED, NY – Consistent scoring efforts from the Alfred University women's basketball team resulted in a 64-44 win over Alfred State College on Thursday night from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
The Saxons (3-0, 0-0 Empire 8) and the Pioneers (0-4, 0-0 AMCC) battled in their first ever matchup in program history, with AU winning the rebound battle by a 48-40 margin.
 
Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) led Alfred University with a team-high 14 points to go with four rebounds, a block and a steal. Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) finished the game with 13 points and three boards. Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) added eight points and six rebounds for AU.
 
"We defended really well in the first half, but unfortunately, we were a little bit undisciplined fouling on the perimeter," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "In the second half, we were solid defensively, but have some things to work on. Offensively, I thought the ball moved really well tonight. We took some really good shots. Jaidyn did a really nice job playing some extended minutes in the second half, leading the group and making some decisions, snagging 13 rebounds. Kate gave us some nice minutes offensively because she was patient and poised and took some great shots. Natalee controlled the paint on both ends and really is doing a nice job progressing as she plays more. Bri went into the game and communicated at a high level and knew what we were doing. She played unselfish basketball and got four rebounds in just six minutes."
 
Early baskets from Rittenhouse, Stewart and Jessica Beehler (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkrik) had the Saxons leading in the opening quarter. A layup from Mackenzie Cannon (Odessa, NY/Odessa Montour) was followed by a three-point play by Stewart to give AU their first double-digit advantage of the evening. The defense held the Pioneers to just three points across the final three minutes of action before taking an 18-9 lead going into the second quarter. Both sides remained scoreless for the first two minutes of the second quarter, but Rittenhouse scored in the paint to spark the offense. Alfred State managed to cut their deficit down to six points, but a 13-0 run to end the first half for the Saxons resulted in a 33-14 lead at the break.
 
Seven points between Cannon, Rittenhouse and Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) had AU leading by as many as 23 points in the third quarter. The Pioneers ended the quarter on a brief 6-0 run, but the Saxons still held a 46-31 advantage with one quarter to play. Kate Quinn (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) had a standout fourth quarter for AU, totaling nine points in six minutes of action. Alfred University relied on their depth to close out the remainder of the game to hold on for the win over Alfred State.
 
"We're excited for our first back-to-back of the year against a talented SUNY Canton team," Moskowitz said. 
 
Alfred University will next host SUNY Canton on Friday night with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.