The Alfred University men’s basketball team had a setback in their quest for the postseason on Friday night with a 77-72 loss to host Utica College. The Saxons fell to 12-12 overall and 6-7 in the Empire 8. With the loss, Alfred drops to fifth place in the conference, with the top four teams receiving bids to play in the Empire 8 tournament.
After trailing by four at halftime, AU made a run midway through the second half, taking a one-point lead. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Utica regained the lead and would not give it up, securing the five-point victory. The Saxons shot 42 percent from the field and committed only seven turnovers, but were out-rebounded, 41-25 in the contest.
Junior forward Todd Dersham (Campbell, NY/Campbell-Savona) led three AU scorers in double figures with a game-high 19 points off the bench. Junior guard Quentin Bryant (Buffalo, NY/Seneca Vocational) also came off the bench to score 18 points and record three steals, while sophomore center Dillon Stein (N. Huntington, PA/Norwin) chipped in with 17 points and grabbed eight boards.
Junior forward Ryan Hallett (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) scored seven points, and sophomore forward Ryan Clemenson (Ovid, NY/South Seneca) contributed with six points, three steals and four rebounds.
Utica (12-11, 7-5 Empire 8) was led by junior guard Justin Cichon (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), who finished with 18 points and four rebounds. Junior forward Shawn Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn) added 17 points to the cause, while senior forward Tim Troy (Yonkers, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Saxons will play their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m., at Hartwick College. Utica will host St. John Fisher on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m.