UTICA, NY - The Alfred University men's basketball team wrapped up their season with a 73-66 loss to #2 Nazareth College on Friday night during the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals.
The Saxons (20-7, 14-4 Empire 8) shot 81.3 percent from the free throw line while limiting the Golden Flyers (20-5, 14-4 Empire 8) to just two successful shots from 3-point range.
Mike Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean) led the Saxons with a team-high 18 points to go with four assists and three rebounds.
Darren Miller (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy) ended the game with 17 points and four rebounds.
Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) had a double-double performance that consisted of 11 points and 12 rebounds for AU.\
"I love our guys and I love how they compete," Head Coach
Erich Kaempffe said. "They have represented our program the right way and played as hard as they could tonight. Credit to Nazareth on playing a little better."
The Saxons trailed in the early stages of the first half, but five straight points from Miller equalized the score with over 12 minutes remaining. Moments later, a layup from Schmidt gave AU their first lead of the evening. Neither side took a commanding lead, but late free throws from the Golden Flyers left the Saxons trailing 29-27 going into the break.
An 8-2 run by Nazareth in the second half had Alfred University behind by as many as nine points.
Adam Enders (Belfast, NY/Belfast) scored the final seven points for the Saxons to remain in the game through the closing minutes, but the Golden Flyers continued to hit their shots to hold onto the win and advance to the Empire 8 Tournament Finals.
This season marked a historic run for Alfred University, who won 20 games for just the fourth time since the program was introduced in 1907. During the course of the season, the Saxons were 33rd in the nation for Division III in scoring defense and 40th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game. Alfred University won six of their final seven conference matchups to earn the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament, marking the second consecutive season under Kaempffe's tenure that the Saxons have advanced to the postseason.
