ELMIRA, NY—The Alfred University men's basketball team kept rolling Saturday afternoon in Elmira against the Soaring Eagles, winning their eighth consecutive game, 67-62.
 
In their regular season finale, the Saxons improved their record to 18-7 overall and 11-5 in the Empire 8 and solidified their position as the second seed in the Empire 8 tournament.  With the loss the Elmira Soaring Eagles fall to 10-15 overall and 7-9 in the Empire 8. 
 
The opening 10 minutes of the first half was a back-and-forth affair as neither team could grab a significant lead over their opponent.  Finally, the Saxons mounted a 12-0 run over the course of just shy of seven minutes to grab a six-point lead set off by an Eric Adams (Lebanon, NJ/Hunterdon Central) layup. 
 
The rest of the half, the Saxons looked to maintain a lead and carry it into the intermission, but the Soaring Eagles would not shy away from a challenge.  With 1:14 to go in the half, Elmira's Neil Randolph hit a shot from behind the arc to give the Soaring Eagles their first lead in over ten minutes.  Elmira would carry the two-point advantage into the half time break.
 
Sophomore Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) led the Saxons in the opening 20 minutes of the game with eight points, with the majority of his points coming from behind the arc.  Senior Dalton Walsh (Stockton, NY/Cassadega Valley) chimed in with seven points in the first half.
 
AU came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders for the second half and quickly erased the small deficit when senior guard Tim Pacheco (Mt. Pocono, PA/Pocono Mountain East) scrambled into the paint for a layup.  The Saxons grabbed the lead when Walsh ripped down a board and sent a long ball to Seelman who put in the fast break bucket.  The Soaring Eagles would answer with a basket on the other end of the court, but AU would quickly grab the lead again and would not look back the rest of the game.  AU jumped out to their largest lead of the game with 8:03 to go and would carry the momentum to the finish line. 
 
Seelman would end the afternoon with a game-high 24 points for the Saxons.  Adams was the only other AU player in double-digits with 11 points and 10 rebounds—Adams' third double-double of the season. Walsh ended with eight points and nine rebounds while Pacheco moved the ball around for the Saxons with five assists and six points. 
 
Alfred University looks to stay hot going into the Empire 8 Championship tournament next Fri. February 27^th when they look to take on the 3^rd seeded Hartwick Hawks.  The Hawks swept AU in during the regular season by the scores of, 75-74 (at Hartwick) and 72-64 (at Alfred).