ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team began their 2024-25 season with a 72-59 win over Pitt-Bradford on Saturday from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.

The Saxons (1-0, 0-0 Empire 8) held the Panthers (0-1, 0-0 AMCC) to just 39.7 percent from the field, while winning the rebound battle by a 62-32 margin.

Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) led Alfred University with a team-high 14 points to go with six rebounds and a pair of steals. Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) put together a double-double performance that consisted of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) added 12 points for Alfred University.

"It's always nice to get a win where everyone gets a chance to play some minutes," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "I thought we defended well, dominated on the glass and the 50/50 balls, and shared the ball well against their zone. It was sloppy at times, but it'll be nice to see some things on film we can work on this week."

Libby Benner (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) was the first to score for Alfred University in the opening quarter, tallying her first collegiate points with the program. An 11-0 run by the Panthers was answered by a jumper from Jessica Beehler (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk). The Saxons took back the lead following a layup from Rittenhouse. Five straight points from Collins to end the quarter had AU leading 19-18 going into the second quarter. The Saxons began the second quarter on an 8-0 run to extend their advantage. A three-pointer by Benner was followed by a layup from Collins to give Alfred University a double-digit lead. The Saxons closed out the first half on a 15-3 run before going into the break with a 46-29 lead.

Benner continued to shoot well for AU to begin the second half, landing a deep shot. The Saxons led by as many as 21 points thanks to shots from Kate Quinn (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) and Nelly Mbugeni (Tanga, Tanzania/Masai Girls). Six different Saxons scored points in the third quarter before the team led 63-42 with one quarter remaining. Collins scored the first four points for Alfred University to begin the final quarter. The Saxons were outscored 17-9 in the closing quarter, but points from Ava Anastasi (Sanborn, NY/Starpoint) and Madison Dohse (Macedon, NY/Gananda) were enough to hold on for the victory.

Alfred University will next compete in the Alfred Tournament, beginning with a game against Hiram College next Saturday at 3:00 PM. Alfred State College and SUNY Delhi will face off prior to the matchup for AU at 1:00 PM.