News Release

The Alfred University men’s basketball team defeated Utica College, 62-61, Saturday afternoon in the Saxons season finale at the McLane Center.

The Saxons were able to over come poor shooting from the floor (35 percent) by dominating the glass and outrebounding the Pioneers 35-23. Offensive rebounds were huge for the Saxons as they snatched up 22 to Utica’s five.

Alfred (10-14, 8-6 E8) celebrated its’ senior players by recognizing them before the game and they did not disappoint. Senior guard Robby McCarter led the Saxons for the second straight game with a game-high 28 points, 18 of which came from behind the arch. McCarter finished shooting seven of 11 from the floor (eight of nine from the line), and six of 10 from three-point land. Senior center Dillon Stein sealed the victory for AU with a crucial free throw after being hacked on a rebound in the closing seconds of the game. The basket gave the Saxons a four-point lead, 62-58, and the win. Stein finished with 16 points, eight boards, and two blocked shots.

The Pioneers enjoyed good shooting from the field 25 of 42 (60 percent) but didn’t have many second chance shot opportunities. Utica had three players score in double figures with Jack Lighthall leading the way with a team-high 21 points on nine of 10 shooting from the floor. Doug Herring and Brian Collier chipped in with 15 and 14 points respectively.

Despite the victory, the Saxons did not qualify for the four-team Empire 8 Conference championship tournament. RIT defeated Elmira Saturday to tie with AU for fourth place in the conference. Both teams finished with 8-6 conference records, but tiebreaking criteria game RIT earn the final spot in the conference championships, the winner of which earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. With the win the Saxons snapped a nine game losing streak against the Pioneers.

McCarter finished the season shooting 88 percent from the free-throw line, an Alfred single-season record. For his career, he made 84 percent of his foul shots, another school record.