ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team picked up their first conference win of the season from a 62-46 victory against Houghton University on Wednesday night from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
The Saxons (4-3, 1-2 Empire 8) scored off 17 assists, while the defense limited the Highlanders (7-1, 1-1 Empire 8) to just two shots from three-point territory.
 
Alfred University was led by the efforts of Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer), who scored a career-high 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) finished the game with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Grace Rittenhouse (Dansville, NY/Dansville) added 12 points and six boards for AU.
 
"Major shoutout to Karly for pushing through an injury that could've kept her out today," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "I thought she did a great job facilitating against the zone with eight assists. Everyone else played well off her and got open in different ways. As a group, top to bottom we played well and did what we had to in staying the course and had a nice offensive explosion there in the second quarter. I'm very pleased with our overall execution – we defended the three-point line very well and didn't get beat on the press very often."
 
Stewart opened scoring for the Saxons in the first quarter, as the team put together an opening 8-3 run to take the early lead. The Highlanders responded with a 7-0 run of their own to take a two-point advantage. A jumper by Stewart was followed by a three-point shot by Flint in the closing seconds of the first quarter, as Alfred University carried a 17-14 lead into the second quarter.
 
Flint and Stewart combined for nine points as part of a 12-0 run for the Saxons in the second quarter, extending their lead by as many as 11 points. Moments later, a pair of three-point plays from Rittenhouse and Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) had AU leading by 16 points with less than three minutes remaining in the half. Flint scored one more time for Alfred University in the final minute before the team entered halftime with a 40-24 advantage.
 
In the second half, Flint found immediate points from a successful shot from beyond the arc. A three-point shot from O'Toole later in the quarter gave the Saxons a game-high 22-point lead. Stewart scored six additional points for Alfred University before entering the fourth quarter with a 54-38 lead. In the fourth quarter, points from Rittenhouse, Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell), and Rebecca Jewett (Nyack, NY/Nyack) were enough to close out the game, with AU securing the win.
 
"We will look to get healthy and get better in every aspect moving forward," Moskowitz said.
 
Alfred University will next have some time to prepare before traveling to Williamsport, PA as part of the Lycoming Tournament. Their first game will take place against Goucher College on Thursday, December 29 at 7:00 PM.