ELMIRA, NY – The Alfred University men's basketball team was on the road Saturday to take on the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College. The Saxons (14-4, 7-2 Empire 8) picked up their fourth straight victory by a score of 88-81.
Dom LeMorta (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) got the offense rolling for AU with two consecutive three's to open up the game. Scotty Stopera (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) followed with a three of his own to give the Saxons a 9-5 lead with 15:37 left in the first half.
A 17-2 run capped off by another LeMorta three made it 20-7 in favor of AU with 12:56 on the clock.
Minutes later, Elmira began a run of its own, fueled by multiple three-pointers to gain a 25-24 lead.
Sam Dagon (Hornell, NY/Hornell) soon responded with two baskets from behind the arc from that gave Alfred a 33-29 lead just before the four-minute mark in the first half.
Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) chipped in with a layup in the paint and some made free throws to give AU the 40-37 advantage at the half.
The Saxons held a slight lead for most of the second half. Dagon hit another long ball to keep pace while Marshall continued to get to the foul line and convert his free throws.
With just over two minutes remaining the Saxons held a six-point advantage when LeMorta turned a steal into a breakaway dunk to extend the AU lead to 8.
The Saxons converted enough free throws down the stretch to secure their seventh conference victory of the season.
"Gritty win tonight," Head Coach Russell Phillips said. "Elmira plays a physical style and a lot of bodies and we did a good job of settling down and getting better shots in the second half. We are excited to get some home games this week in front of our fans."
Dagon recorded a career high 24 points on 7-10 shooting. He also forced two steals on the defensive end. LeMorta scored 19. Elliot Bowen (Salamanca, NY/Ellicottville) had 15 points while Marshall scored 14. Stopera dished out a team high six assists while Sage Brown (Cortland, NY/Cortland)led the way with 10 rebounds.
The Saxons will be back at home on Tuesday at 7:30PM against St. John Fisher College.