UTICA, NY - A strong fourth quarter performance wasn't enough for the Alfred University women's basketball team, who came up short in a 59-53 loss to Utica University on Saturday afternoon from the Clark Athletic Center. 

Alfred University was led by Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford), who scored a team-high 14 points to go with four rebounds and one steal. Karly Welty (Portville, NY/Portville Central) ended the game with 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Leah Harkenrider (Hornell, NY/Hornell) added 11 points, eight boards and three steals for AU. 

"We started a bit slow today and had a tough time scoring for large stretches of today," Head Coach Mike Moskowitz said. "We were pretty happy with our shot selections, but felt we were definitley rushing in the first half. Our press was effective for us today, which is nice to see in both games of a back-to-back. 

A 6-0 run to open the first quarter from the Pioneers (8-6, 3-4 Empire 8) put the Saxons (9-5, 4-4 Empire 8) in an early deficit, but Alfred University responded with six quick points of their own to equalize the score. Flint scored four points in the quarter before AU went into the second quarter trailing by a 16-9 margin. Four early points from Utica in the second quarter had AU behind by double-digit figures. Felicia Stewart (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) scored the final four points for the Saxons, but they were behind 29-20 going into the break. 

Baskets from Welty and Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) highlighted AU's offense in the third quarter, but Utica still led 39-27 with one quarter remaining. Consecutive three-point shots from Harkenrider sparked an 8-0 run for the Saxons early in the fourth quarter, but successful free throw shooting from the Pioneers was enough to erase a potential comeback. 

"We're excited to get back home in our gym this Tuesday with student back against Medaille," Moskowitz said. 

Alfred University will next return home on Tuesday for an Empire 8 matchup against Medaille University with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 PM.