PITTSFORD, NY—The Alfred University basketball men's basketball team fell to Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher College despite carrying a 26-19 lead into the halftime break Tuesday evening on the road.
 
Junior Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) paced the Saxons with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-5 from 3PT range). Seelman also managed three steals, two rebounds, and two assists. Fellow junior Julian Reinhart (Hornell, NY/Hornell) scored 10 points for the Saxons corralling five boards.
 
In a game with both teams averaging at least 75 points per game, neither team was able to break 30 in the first half. The AU defense held the 9-3 (Empire 8 3-0) Cardinals to only 19 points in the first half. Staunch defense on part of the Saxons held SJFC to only 29.2% (7-of-24) shooting; the second lowest shooting percentage in a half for the Cardinals all season.  AU on the other hand shot 44.0% (11-of-25) from the field.
 
However, Fisher began the second half with back-to-back long balls to close the gap 26-25. AU managed to keep an advantage for approximately five more minutes, outpacing the Cardinals for the lead. However, an 11-2 run over three minutes gave SJFC a 46-39 lead. By the 3:11 mark, the Saxons had diminished the lead to only five, but soon had to begin fouling to make their way into the game. SJFC closed the game on an 8-0 run via free throws to earn the win.
 
Junior Eric Adams (Lebanon, NJ/Hunterdon Central) led AU on crashing the board with six rebounds while freshman guard Pat McLamore (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) dished the ball out three times to pace the Saxons in assists.
 
AU (6-7, E8 2-2) is off until Friday when it travels to Oneonta, NY to take on Empire 8 foe Hartwick College at 6PM.