Men's Basketball | 2/22/2022 9:05:00 PM
ALFRED, NY – An excellent performance on both ends from the fourth seeded Alfred University men's basketball team led to a 75-61 victory over No. 5 seed Russell Sage College during the Empire 8 Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday evening from the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
Four Saxons (17-9, 9-7 Empire 8) finished with double-digit points, while the team out-rebounded the Gators (13-13, 7-9 Empire 8) by a 31-30 margin.
Mike Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean) led the Saxons with a double-double performance that consisted of 12 points and a career-high 12 assists.
Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) ended with a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds.
Adam Enders (Belfast, NY/Belfast) finished with 15 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Darren Miller (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse) totaled 12 points in the win.
"I'm happy for our guys," Head Coach
Erich Kaempffe said. "They've worked really hard all season and played well tonight to beat a great team in Sage. Coach Barnes and his staff do a great job and Sage has some really good players."
Cole Eells (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) set the tone for AU offensively in the early stages of the first half, scoring the team's first five points. The Gators responded with a 9-0 run to take a brief two-point lead with 10:59 remaining in the first half. Back-to-back three-point shots from Enders sparked a 10-0 run for the Saxons, as the team led by as many as eight points. Alfred University put together a 17-3 run to close out the first half to lead 41-21 entering halftime.
A dunk from Marshall opened scoring in the second half for the Saxons. Russell Sage compiled a 13-4 run to cut their deficit down to 15 points with 7:24 left in the game. Enders knocked down three consecutive three-point shots to extend AU's lead back to 22 points. The Gators hit late shots, but Marshall and Miller answered with shots of their own to close out the game and secure the win.
"Utica won the regular season championship in the Empire 8 because they're an incredibly gifted and well-coached team," Kaempffe said. "We're excited to compete against them."
Alfred University will next travel to play #1 Utica University on Friday as part of the Empire 8 Semi-Finals. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.
2021-22 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, February 22 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 4 Alfred University defeated No. 5 Russell Sage, 75-61 – BOX SCORE
Friday, February 25 – Semifinals (at Utica)
No. 4 Alfred at No. 1 Utica – 5:30 p.m. – STATS/VIDEO
No. 3 St. John Fisher vs. No. 2 Nazareth - 7:30 p.m. – STATS/VIDEO
Saturday, February 26 - Championship Final (at Utica)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - 3 p.m. – STATS/VIDEO