BUFFALO, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season in convincing fashion, earning a 79-43 victory over Buffalo State College on Tuesday night.
Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield) paced the Saxons (1-0, 0-0 Empire 8) with a game-high 22 points, adding six assists, five steals and four rebounds. As part of her efforts, Chest clinched her 1,000th career point with Alfred University.
Libby Benner (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) contributed 15 points and four rebounds, while
Nelly Mbugeni (Tanga, Tanzania/Masai Girls) finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
"Great way to start the year," Head Coach
Mike Moskowitz said. "We came out with a high attention to detail and execution. We forced some good turnovers and really shared the ball well early on, which gave us a nice lead. What I liked more was us expanding on our lead in the second half. Shoutout to Jaidyn for scoring her 1,000th point and doing it in a really efficient way that also featured six assists. Really proud of her for all her hard work paying off."
Chest set the tone early for Alfred University, scoring nine of the team's first 13 points in the opening quarter. A three-pointer from Benner gave the Saxons their first double-digit advantage before she closed the quarter with the final eight points for AU. Alfred University carried a 21-10 lead into the second quarter. Four different Saxons scored during an opening 9-2 run to begin the second quarter. Alfred University continued to build its advantage, outscoring the Bengals (1-1, 0-0 SUNYAC) 14-5 over the final four minutes of the half to take a commanding 42-17 lead into the break.
Abigail Platt (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) opened the second-half scoring with a three-pointer. Chest added a team-high six points in the third quarter as the Saxons extended their advantage to 64-32 heading into the final period. A 9-2 run to open the fourth quarter pushed the Alfred University lead to as many as 37 points. The Saxons' defense held Buffalo State to just 11 points in the final quarter to secure the 36-point victory.
Alfred University will return home to host Geneva College (PA) on Friday at 7:00 PM as part of the BSN Tip-Off Tournament.
--Swords Forward Saxons--
