ALFRED, NY – A late three-point shot from
Adam Enders (Belfast, NY/Belfast) resulted in an 84-81 win over SUNY Geneseo on Tuesday night from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
The Saxons (4-4, 1-0 Empire 8) had four players finish with double-digit points in their winning efforts against the Knights (4-4, 1-1 SUNYAC).
Enders led Alfred University with a career-high 27 points, including seven shots from three-point territory.
Gabe Eldaye (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) recorded a career-high 18 points to go with four rebounds.
Casey Curran (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) and
Tyler Curran (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) combined for 29 points for AU.
"I'm happy for the guys," Head Coach
Erich Kaempffe said. "They played hard and care so much. A ton of credit to Geneseo and Coach Minton. They did a great job. We have a lot of work to do and things to clean up, but for tonight, I'm just so happy for our guys."
The Knights were the first to score in the opening half, but the Saxons relied on a 7-0 run to take the early lead. Alfred University relied on five straight baskets from deep to lead by as many as eight points with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half. Each team traded late shots, but a three-pointer from Enders in the closing seconds allowed AU to take a 42-37 lead into halftime.
An 8-0 run by Geneseo in the second half tied the game with just over 16 minutes remaining in the game. Alfred University responded with a 10-2 run to take their first double-digit advantage of the evening with roughly 11 minutes to play. Later in the half, an 8-0 run by the Knights turned the game into a one-possession contest with under a minute remaining. A late layup from
Kenneth Allison Jr (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) extended the lead to four points with 39 seconds on the clock. The Knights scored quickly, and then forced a late turnover to score once again to equalize the game with under 10 seconds to play.
The Saxons quickly worked their way down the court, and a deep shot from Enders was successful and secured the victory for Alfred University.
Alfred University will next return to Empire 8 competition with a road game against Houghton University on Saturday at 4:00 PM.
