ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University men's basketball team wrapped up the Special Tee's Tip-Off Classic with a 77-70 loss to SUNY Poly on Saturday from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
The Saxons (2-1, 0-0 Empire 8) scored 50 points in the second half, while forcing the Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 NAC) to 19 turnovers.
 
Alfred University was led by the efforts of Mike Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean), who finished with a career-high 27 points. Darren Miller (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy) ended the game with 18 points to go with five rebounds and two steals. Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) added nine points and nine boards for AU.
 
"A lot of credit to SUNY Poly," Head Coach Erich Kaempffe said. "They did a really nice job. We're obviously disappointed, but I'm proud of how we fought back."
 
After both sides found open shots in the opening minutes of the first half, a three-point shot from Anthony Ruffino (Buffalo, NY/Niagara Wheatfield) gave Alfred University their first lead of the game. With the game tied, a 10-0 run for the Wildcats left the Saxons trailing by double-digits with 5:08 remaining in the half. Successful free throws for AU towards the end of the half had them trailing 29-20 at the break.
 
The Wildcats quickly put together a 12-0 run to lead by as many as 19 points early in the second half. Later in the half, Schmidt scored six consecutive points for Alfred University to cut their deficit to 13 points with 5:24 left in the game. Moments later, Schmidt found an opening in the paint to cut SUNY Poly's lead to nine points. A three-point shot from Schmidt was followed by a layup from Kenneth Allison Jr (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh), as AU trailed by four points in the final minute. However, the Wildcats hit their free throws at the end of the game to extend the lead and erase a potential comeback for the Saxons.  
 
"We're going to try and improve across the board," Kaempffe said. "Roanoke is a great team and we're excited to prepare for them."
 
Alfred University will next travel to Salem, Virginia to face Roanoke College on Friday as part of the Frankie Allen Tip-Off Tournament. The game is slated to begin at 6:00 PM.