ALFRED, NY – An elite performance on the defensive end from the Alfred University women's basketball team led to a 60-32 win over Keuka College on Friday evening from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
The Saxons (6-9, 2-5 Empire 8) recorded a season-high 14 steals against the Wolves (1-13, 0-6 Empire 8) as part of their winning efforts.
 
Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) had an elite performance on her birthday, recording a team-high 17 points to go with 9 rebounds and a pair of assists. Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) ended the game with 6 points and 3 boards. Briana Dorr (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) had an effective performance off the bench, finishing the game with 6 points and 5 rebounds.
 
"We came out with great focus early, which we've been working on and that allowed us to build a nice lead in the first half," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "We had nice contributions across the board, but I'm most proud of our ball movement to have 18 assists on 23 field goals. It's nice to see our defense executing at a high level where we're in the right spots and teams are throwing it right to where we are, contributing to a high number of steals. We're excited to be back at home tomorrow against a dangerous Utica team."
 
A three-point shot by Kate Quinn (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) was followed by a layup from Jessica Beehler (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk) to have the Saxons leading by as many as seven points in the opening quarter. The defense held the Wolves scoreless across the final five minutes of play before entering the second quarter with an 11-4 lead. Rittenhouse was responsible for the first four points for AU in the second quarter. The Saxons put together an impressive 12-0 run to extend their lead. Alfred University ended the first half on a 7-0 run to lead 32-8 going into the break.
 
Chest contributed with a team-high five points in the third quarter.  Four other Saxons were able to score points, as the team held a 46-22 advantage with one quarter remaining. Alfred University relied on their depth to close out the final quarter, as six points from Chest and deep shots from Dorr and Alyssa DiMillo (Syracuse, NY/Liverpool) were enough close out the game with a win.

Alfred University will next wrap up their weekend at home on Saturday against Utica University at 2:00 PM.