ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team played its first game of the Crossbar Alfred Classic, improving to 3-0 on the season with a 58-35 victory over Bard College at Alfred State College on Friday.
 
Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) led all scorers with her first 20-point performance of the season. She was highly efficient, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-9 from 3-point range. She went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Chest also added six rebounds, three assists and two steals to her stat line.
 
Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) was dominant on the boards as she tallied a career-high 17 rebounds with a career-high 15 on the defensive end. In addition to dishing out three assists and matching her season-high three blocks for the third consecutive time. Joining Collins in the blocks category was Kate Quinn (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West), who led the Saxons (3-0, 0-0 Empire 8) with a career-high four.
 
AU seized control early in the non-conference contest as it outscored the Raptors (0-2, 0-0 Liberty League), 19-9, in the first quarter and 19-10 in the second to take a commanding 38-19 lead into halftime.
 
The Saxons' momentum slowed in the third quarter, as they were held to just four points, including one field goal. Meanwhile, Bard College scored 10 points on the other end. AU still remained on top by 13 after three quarters, 42-29.
 
The Saxons turned it around in the fourth, shooting 6-of-15 from the field. AU's defense held Bard College to just two made field goals, setting the tone of the game and continuing the team's perfect start to the season.
 
The Saxons were 21-of-61 (.344) overall, including 8-of-27 (.296) from behind the arc and 8-of-16 (.500) at the charity stripe. AU had a 22-20 edge in the paint, converted all 12 offensive rebounds into points and registered 19 points off 22 turnovers.
 
The Saxons' bench provided a significant spark, contributing 22 points in the win. Ava Anastasi (Sanborn, NY/Starpoint) added eight with six on two made 3-point shots, while Ashaya Wallace (Elmira, NY/Elmira) tallied seven.
 
The Raptors were 13-of-57 (.228) from the field, 3-of-13 (.231) at the 3-point line and 6-of-14 (.429) from the free-throw line.
 
"We played a nice first half once we settled in but had our worst quarter of the year in the third," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "We did a nice job competing just enough to only give up 10 points in a quarter where we only scored four. Then we refocused and started the fourth quarter strong and gave ourselves a bit of a cushion that continued from there on out. We're excited to prepare for tomorrow's championship."

The Saxons will play in the Crossbar Alfred Classic Championship against Thiel College on Saturday at 4:00 PM.