UTICA, NY – The Alfred University men's basketball team (17-7, Empire 8 10-5) fell to the Utica Pioneers, 85-73, on the road on Friday evening despite 20 points from senior Nick Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean).
Schmidt, Scotty Stopera (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville), Dalton Cousin (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) and Sage Brown (Cortland, NY/Cortland) all scored in the double-digits during the loss. Stopera racked up 14 points and three assists while Cousin and Brown finished the game with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Cousin was only one rebound short of a double-double in the game.
The Saxons battled with the Pioneers throughout the first half before taking on a deficit in the final five minutes of the opening period. Utica rattled off an 11-2 run in the final 3:48 of the first half to earn a lead 36-26 heading into the break. AU shot 39.3% from the field compared to Utica's 50.0% shooting during the opening half.
The Pioneers continued to ride their hot shooters in the second half, shooting 60.7% from the field, including 66.7% from beyond the arc. The Saxons continued to maintain around their season average, hitting 42.4% of their shots in the second period. In the end, Utica took home the win 85-73.
The Saxons outscored the Pioners 18-9 on points off turnovers.
With the win, the Saxons and the Pioneers are deadlocked in conference play at 10-5. If AU defeats Hartwick and Utica defeats Stevens, the Pioneers will take the #3 seed and the Saxons will sit at the #4 seed. Utica would earn the advantage after the teams split head-to-head during the regular season and the Pioneers defeated Stevens once while the Saxons went 0-2 against the Ducks. However, if AU wins and Utica loses, the Saxons will take the #3 seed and play the #2 seed in the opening round of the Empire 8 Championships.
Saxons Drop Road Matchup to Pioneers
Alfred
73
Utica
85
Final | 1 | 2 | T |
---|---|---|---|
Alfred (17-7, 10-5 E8) | 26 | 47 | 73 |
Utica (15-9,10-5 E8) | 36 | 49 | 85 |
Feb 16, 2018