ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University men's basketball team returned to the win column following a 74-62 victory over Penn College on Saturday afternoon.

The Saxons (3-6, 0-1 Empire 8) shot 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, while outrebounding the Wildcats (1-9, 0-1 AMCC) by a 43-29 margin.

Zion Baitey (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) led Alfred University with a double-double performance that consisted of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Franlys Valenzuela (Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic/San Ysidro) registered nine points to go with 18 boards. Robby Hicks (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) added 16 points off the bench for AU.

"We're certainly excited to head into the break with a win," Head Coach Erich Kaempffe said. "Our guys have worked really hard over the past few weeks to fix some things and I was really happy to see it pay off on the scoreboard tonight."

A 7-0 run by the Wildcats in the early moments of the first half forced the Saxons to play from behind. Moments later, a 7-0 run by AU was capped with a tip-in by Andria Siamashvili (Belgrade, Serbia/Rabun Gap Cacoochee School). Penn College held the lead for most of the first half, limiting Alfred University to just a single point across the final two minutes to take a 31-27 lead into the break. Six early points by the Wildcats to begin the second half had the Saxons trailing by double-digit figures. A jump shot by Siamashvili was followed by a layup from Baitey, as AU tied the game with 14 minutes remaining. The Saxons put together an additional 8-0 run to build a lead for themselves. Baitey continued to contribute on both ends of the floor, as a layup later in the half had Alfred University leading by as many as 17 points. The Wildcats found shots late in the game, but double-digit scoring from Baitey and Hicks to close out the game allowed AU to hold on for the win.

Alfred University will next compete at Grove City College on December 31 at 2:00 PM.