ALFRED, NY - The Alfred University men's basketball team wrapped up their opening weekend with a 72-65 loss to Alfred State College on Saturday as part of the Alfred Cup and BSN Tip-Off Tournament.
Gennaro Picco (Hornell, NY/Hornell) led Alfred University with a team-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds.
Frank Ringel (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown Heights) registered a double-double performance consisting of 10 points and 10 boards.
Zion Baitey (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) added seven points and 10 rebounds for the Saxons.
"Obviously a tough one tonight," Head Coach
Erich Kaempffe said. "All the credit in the world to Coach Buschang and Alfred State. They were ready and played well. I was proud of our guys - we battled all night as we struggled to put the ball in the hoop a bit. We'll keep working on it starting Monday."
A deep shot from Picco in the early stages of the first half gave AU an initial lead. The defense for the Saxons played well to end the first half, allowing just three points across the final seven minutes of action. Baitey added five points for AU in the first half, but the team went into the break down 29-24.
The Pioneers opened with four quick points to begin the second half to force the Saxons to play from behind. A three-point shot by
LJ Hailes (South Jamaica Queens, NY/Saint Francis Prep) cut into the deficit for Alfred University. Baskets by Baitey and Picco had AU trailing by just four points with under a minute to play, but successful free throw shooting was enough for Alfred State to come away with the win.
Alfred University will next host Buffalo State College next Saturday at 2:00 PM in a non-conference matchup.
--Swords Forward Saxons--
