ALFRED, NY – A high-scoring contest for the Alfred University women's basketball team resulted in a 79-68 loss to SUNY Canton on Friday night from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.

The Saxons (3-1, 0-0 Empire 8) shot the ball well against the Roos (5-0, 0-0 NAC), converting 45.8 percent of shots from three-point range.

Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) finished the game with a team-high 17 points to go with five rebounds and four assists for Alfred University. Samantha Fischer (Wappingers Falls, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) totaled 16 points, two boards and two assists. Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) added nine points for AU.

"Credit to Canton," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "They're an excellent, unselfish team who work well together. I thought the first half was a track meet and we did a good job keeping up. We settled in a bit more in the second half and grinded out some defensive possessions. We had some nice looks offensively from both inside and out. This felt like a high stake, playoff-type game against a good opponent. Overall, we performed at a high level with just a 45-minute walkthrough to prepare today."

Four early points from Rittenhouse gave the Saxons an initial lead to begin the first quarter. The Roos quickly equalized the game, but a jump shot from Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) gave AU the lead once again. A 9-0 run by SUNY Canton was snapped thanks to a three-point shot from Harkenrider. The Saxons relied on a late shot from Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) before going into the second quarter behind 22-16. Alfred University converted from three-point range on three straight baskets in the early stages of the second quarter to cut their deficit to a single point. The Roos responded with a 12-2 run before eventually taking a 44-35 lead into halftime.

Deep shots from Fischer and Rittenhouse in the third quarter cut AU's deficit to eight points. Stewart added four points in the third quarter for the Saxons, but the team still trailed 58-49. Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) opened the fourth quarter with a shot from three-point range. Fischer continued to spark the offense, scoring eight points in under two minutes of action. Each team continued to trade late shots, but successful free throw shoot from the Roos in the closing stages closed out the game.

"I'm excited to work with the group as we prepare for another great opponent in Denison on Sunday," Moskowitz said.

Alfred University will next wrap up their week at home against Denison University on Sunday at 1:00 PM.