HOUGHTON, NY - The Alfred University men's basketball team defeated Houghton University in 75-54 fashion as part of their regular season finale on Tuesday night. 

The Saxons (14-11, 10-6 Empire 8) shot 50 percent from the field while relying on 23 bench points in their wining efforts against the Highlanders (13-12, 8-8 Empire 8).

Zion Baitey (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) led Alfred University with a team-high 19 points along with a pair of rebounds. Tyler Hind (Randolph, NY/Randolph) finished the game with 12 points and four assists. Amoi Charles (Elmont, NY/H. Frank Carey) added 11 points and seven boards for AU. 

"I'm proud of our guys," Head Coach Erich Kaempffe said. "I thought we were very determined tonight. Defensively we did a good job sitting down and guarding the ball and offensively we generated pretty clean looks for most of the night. We're excited to get back to work for Saturday."

Baitey scored six of the first 10 points for the Saxons to open the contest for the initial lead. Moments later, a three-point shot by Casey Curran (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) sparked an 11-0 run for AU. The Highlanders cut their deficit to six points, but Hind scored five of the next nine points for Alfred University to extend their advantage by as many as 15 points. Kenneth Allison Jr (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) closed out the first half with six straight points for the Saxons, as the team took a 41-24 lead into halftime. 

Baitey registered the first six points for Alfred University to begin the second half. Hind and Nolan Gilbert (Mechanicsburgh, PA/Cumberland Valley) combined for eight points as part of a 13-4 run for AU, who led by 23 points halfway through the final half of regulation. The Saxons scored eight of their final 13 points from the charity stripe before closing out the game with the victory. 

The Saxons have clinched the No. 5 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament, and will travel to face No. 4 SUNY Poly on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Price of admission is $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and students with ID and free for children under the age of 12 years old.