ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team won their third straight season-opener following a 51-39 victory over Oswego State on Wednesday evening from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
The Saxons (1-0, 0-0 Empire 8) limited the Lakers (0-1, 0-0 SUNYAC) to 27.4 percent from the field and forced 18 turnovers in their winning efforts.
 
Samantha Fischer (Wappingers Falls, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) led Alfred University with a game-high 13 points to go with 5 rebounds. Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) scored 11 points along with 7 boards and 2 steals. Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) played well on the defensive end for AU, grabbing 9 rebounds while recording 3 blocks and a steal.
 
"Our work the last two days has been excellent, both the players defensively and the coaches preparing us well for Oswego," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "Brandon and Sam have done a great job stepping up this year with expanded responsibilities that have helped us from top-to-bottom. We knew it would be a grind of a game against a solid defensive team. We talked at halftime about missed opportunities offensively by not moving the ball to the open player and allowing them to have 9 offensive rebounds. I thought we did a much better job in the second half taking care of the ball and taking better shots as the game went on. To limit them to only 3 offensive rebounds in the second half is a credit to our focus and discipline, especially as we got tired."
 
The Saxons opened scoring in the first quarter thanks to a jump shot from Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer). The Lakers took a brief lead before Fischer scored 4 points as part of a 9-0 run to have Alfred University lead by as many as 5 points. Oswego State scored in the closing moments of the first quarter, but AU still led by a 12-11 margin entering the second quarter.
 
The second quarter was highlighted by a three-point shot by Mackenzie Cannon (Odessa, NY/Odessa Manor), but the Lakers ended the first half with a 7-0 run to lead 22-19 going into the break.
 
The Lakers were the first to score in the second half, but a three-point play by Harkenrider turned the game into a one-possession contest. Back-to-back shots from beyond the arc for the Saxons gave the team their first lead of the second half. Successful free throw shooting from Harkenrider and Stewart were paired with a 3-point shot by Jessica Beehler (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk) to have Alfred University lead 36-32 with one quarter remaining.
 
Four different Saxons scored to begin the fourth quarter as part of a 7-0 run to lead by as many as 9 points with 7 minutes to play. Moments later, a layup from Fischer gave AU their first double-digit advantage of the evening. The defense for the Saxons allowed just 2 points across the final 2 minutes to hold on for the victory.
 
"Sam has been dealing with some injuries for over a year-and-a-half now," Moskowitz said. "I'm so happy for her that her unquestioned toughness dealing with that has paid off and she could be out on the court to help us win tonight. Jaidyn played with minimal fear today, which is impressive for her first ever collegiate game. She was struggling yesterday with ball screen defense and was almost flawless today. She played some tough minutes and helped us get the stops we needed."
 
Alfred University will next remain at home against Buffalo State on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 PM.