BUFFALO, NY – A back-and-forth game for the Alfred University women's basketball team resulted in a 64-51 win over Buffalo State College on Saturday afternoon from the Sports Arena.
 
The Saxons (2-0, 0-0 Empire 8) had baskets from nine different players, while holding the Bengals (0-2, 0-0 SUNYAC) to just eight three-point attempts.   
 
Alfred University was led by the efforts of Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell), who finished with a team-high 14 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) ended with 13 points and five boards. Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central) added 10 points for AU.
 
"We got off to a hot start on the scoreboard, but we honestly were not playing very well," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "We finished the first quarter better, however in the second quarter, they started to take it to us. At halftime, we made some adjustments in the press and were better coming out of the first and kind of grinded it out to push the lead."
 
The Saxons found success in the early stages of the first quarter, as Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) scored five points as part of an opening 12-0 run. Late shots by Rittenhouse and Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) had the Saxons leading 18-7 entering the second quarter. Alfred University extended their lead by as many as 16 points in the second quarter thanks to early shots from Anne Spila (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) and Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford). The Bengals finished the first half on a 10-1 run, as AU led 30-25 at the break.
 
In the third quarter, points from Harkenrider, Rittenhouse, and Welty resulted in an 8-0 run for the Saxons to build their lead back up to 13 points. Both teams traded successful shots, as Alfred University held a 55-37 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Welty sparked the Saxons offense in the fourth quarter by scoring the team's first four points. Buffalo State ended the game on a 6-0 run, but Alfred University held on until the final buzzer to secure the victory.
 
"We have to improve on a lot of fronts, but we're definitely thankful to start 2-0," Moskowitz said. "We're looking forward to the opportunity to get better over the next week before our home tournament next weekend."
 
Alfred University will next host Fredonia on Friday afternoon with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.