KEUKA PARK, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team ended their season on a high note, defeating Keuka College 72-61 on Saturday from the JMW Recreation and Athletics Center.
Despite the win, the Saxons narrowly missed out on the Empire 8 postseason after Utica University defeated Elmira College on Saturday afternoon. Alfred University finished the 2023-24 season with a 10-14 overall record, marking the third consecutive season in which the team has posted 10 or more wins in the regular season. The Saxons went on to finish with a 6-10 record in conference play, winning three of their final five contests.
Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) led Alfred University with a team-high 19 points to go with two steals.
Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) finished the game with 16 points along with four rebounds and four assists.
Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) stuffed the box score with 12 points, eight boards and a game-high six steals.
Jessica Beehler (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk) added 12 points off the bench for AU.
"Today showed a great second half effort to pull out the win," Head Coach
Mike Moskowitz said. "We're certainly disappointed we didn't qualify for the playoffs. We knew coming in we'd have a lot of question marks and growth opportunities with such a young crew, and we believe we got better throughout the course of the year. Unfortunately, we also understand we could've been and need to be more consistent throughout the journey. We thank Jess, Kenz, Leah and Grace for their dedication to help improve our program and leave it better than they found it."
Chest opened the scoring for AU in the first quarter, recording the first five points to begin the game. The Wolves took an early lead, but a three-point shot from
Samantha Fischer (Wappingers Falls, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) cut the deficit. Beehler hit a deep shot as well, but the Saxons were still behind 18-13 going into the second quarter. The defense held Keuka without a point for the first two minutes of the second quarter, while Harkenrider and Rittenhouse combined for the team's first six points.
Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) added five points in the second quarter, but AU was trailing 34-28 going into the break.
Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) scored the first four points for Alfred University to begin the second half. Consecutive three-point shots from Beehler and Rittenhouse gave the Saxons their first lead of the half. An additional deep shot from Rittenhouse had AU leading by as many as six points in the third quarter. The Wolves were held to just two points from the final three minutes of the quarter, as the Saxons led 49-46 with one quarter to play. A 9-2 run to begin the fourth quarter had Alfred University leading by double-digit figures. Both Harkenrider and Rittenhouse were astounding in the fourth quarter, registering the team's first 19 points. Late free throw shooting from Beehler was enough for the Saxons to close out the game with the victory.
