ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team defeated Thiel College, 67-53, to win the Crossbar Alfred Classic Championship on Saturday.
 
Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) was named to the All-Tournament Team while Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) was selected as the Most Valuable Player.

Felker led the way with a career-high 20 points, marking the first time she has scored this many in a game. She was efficient from the 3-point line, hitting 4-of-6 of her 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. Felker added four assists and two steals to her stat line.
 
Chest had led the Saxons with 20 points against Bard College. Against Thiel College, she registered 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting and 2-of-6 from the 3-point line. She also tallied five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
 
Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) recorded her second double double of the season, finishing with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. She shot 5-of-9 from the field and registered 10 defensive boards.
 
Both teams were neck-and-neck during the first quarter. The Saxons (4-0, 0-0 Empire 8) were down until the 3:58 mark when Ava Anastasi (Sanborn, NY/Starpoint) drained a 3-point shot to tie the game at 11-all. While the Tomcats (2-2, 0-0 PAC) responded with points to stay on top, AU kept the score close with 3-point shots by Ashaya Wallace (Elmira, NY/Elmira) and Briana Dorr (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) along with a layup from Collins to get in front, 19-17, with 32 seconds left. Thiel College hit two free throws to tie the score at 19-all at the end of the first.
 
The score remained close in the early stages of the second quarter. Kate Quinn (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) scored on a layup in the paint that ignited a 9-2 run, resulting in a 33-27 halftime lead for the Saxons.
 
AU continued to build on its lead in the second half. Back-to-back 3-point shots from Felker and Chest followed by a fastbreak layup from Nelly Mbugeni (Tanga, Tanzania/Masai Girls) gave the Saxons their largest lead of the game, 41-29. There was a two-point difference in the field goals made by both teams in the second half. But it was AU who had the advantage as it shot 13-of-32 overall and 5-of-11 at the 3-point line. Felker and Chest each had two triples. Meanwhile, Thiel College was 11-of-28 from the field and 3-of-7 from behind the arc.
 
The Saxons converted 20 Tomcat turnovers into 24 points and scored 15 on 11 offensive rebounds. AU had 19 points combined from all the players who came off the bench.
 
"What a really gritty performance where multiple people contributed in a variety of ways," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "Thiel is not only talented but balanced offensively, and they run some great actions. They put constant pressure on teams defensively, and I thought our squad really answered the call defensively and toughed out some great stops. Our defense sparked our offensive confidence, and that was really nice to see as we had some really nice offensive flow throughout the game. After four games in eight days and three in the last five, we're excited for a stretch where we can focus on ourselves and where we need to be better."

The Saxons host Penn State Altoona for Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night on Friday, Nov. 21, at 5:00 PM.