ALFRED, NY - Consistent scoring efforts from the Alfred University women's basketball team led to a 79-40 win over Cazenovia College on Saturday afternoon. 

The Saxons (3-0, 0-0 Empire 8) had points from 10 different players, while the Wildcats (1-5, 0-0 NAC) were held to 27.5 percent from the field. 

Alfred University was led by Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville), who finished with 13 points along with a team-high nine rebounds. Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) totaled 13 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central) added 13 points and five boards for AU. 

"We did a nice job executing on both ends early, which was something we spoke about coming in - being aggressive on defense and patient on offense," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "I really like how we played from top down today. It was great to see us share the ball for 21 assists and nice, balanced scoring."

Alfred University came out strong in the first quarter, as six different players scored as part of an opening 15-2 run. A fastbreak layup from Welty had the Saxons leading by as many as 24 points. Welty scored once more in the finals seconds, as AU held a 30-9 advantage entering the second quarter. Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) sparked an 11-0 run for the Saxons to open the second quarter. Stewart scored once more in the second quarter before Alfred University carried a 48-17 advantage going into halftime. 

Cazenovia began to find some shots in the third quarter, but three-point shots from Harkenrider and Rittenhouse highlighted scoring for Alfred University, as the team still held a comfortable 64-31 lead going into the final quarter. Rittenhouse was successful from beyond the arc once again in the fourth quarter, opening additional scoring for the Saxons. Alfred University relied on their depth to close out the game and secure the victory. 

"We know we have things to work on and have to have a focused next few days before this matchup against an Oswego team that's started the year very well," Moskowitz said.

Alfred University will next travel to face Oswego State before the Thanksgiving break on Tuesday night with the game scheduled for 7:30 PM.