ONEONTA, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team orchestrated a dominant second half comeback to defeat Hartwick College, 60-47, on Friday. 

Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) led with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) registered 12 points along with four rebounds and three assists, while Libby Benner (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) racked up 10 points and five rebounds. Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville) grabbed 13 boards to go with nine points, three steals and two blocks.

AU (9-5, 3-2 Empire 8) fell behind 5-0 early in the first quarter before Collins scored the team's first point at the free throw line, sparking a 12-2 run and giving the Saxons a 12-7 edge. However, Hartwick College (4-10, 1-4 Empire 8) answered with eight straight points to reclaim the lead, 15-12, at the end of the first 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, Hartwick gained momentum and outscored AU, 16-9, putting the Saxons down by double digits. AU struggled with 13 turnovers in the first half that resulted in 12 points for the Hawks. The Saxons went into halftime trailing by a score of 31-21.

Felker got the second half started with a 3-point shot at 9:22 in the third quarter. Chest posted a layup and triple that sparked another Saxon run of 14-2. It was during the run that Felker tied the game at 36-all, followed by Benner, who contributed a layup and 3-point shot to bring AU back on top, 41-36. The Saxons went into the fourth up, 44-39, after outscoring the Hawks, 23-8.

The game remained close during the final 10 minutes. AU tallied 13 unanswered points down the stretch to come out on top. The Saxons' defense was on point as they held the Hawks to just 15% (3-20) from the field.

"We were just resilient today after playing a first half that wasn't up to our standards on either end," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "Credit to the players for making plays. We made no halftime adjustments and just defended at an extremely high level in the second half, allowing us to get out in transition. Looking forward to another opportunity to compete tomorrow."

The Saxons head east to Albany to take on Russell Sage College on Saturday at 2:00 PM.