ALFRED, N.Y. – Russell Sage College held off a late Alfred comeback attempt to earn a 64-61 Empire 8 Conference road win tonight.
Senior guard Tyler Mitchell (Bronx, NY/All Hallows) (above) made a pair of important plays on the defensive end to help the Gators (7-5/1-2 E8) secure the victory.
Up by two, 61-59, with 16 seconds left, Mitchell blocked a Saxon layup attempt and corralled the ensuing rebound. Fouled in his effort, Mitchell sank both foul shots to give the Gators some breathing room. He then came up with a steal with three seconds remaining to diffuse another late Alfred possession.
Mitchell, who dished out a team-high two assists, totaled 13 points, while senior guard Jalon Borders (Bartow, FL/Bartow) topped all participants with 24 points. Senior forward/center Fethener Aime (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast) grabbed 12 rebounds, leading all players.
RSC got off to a fast start, opening the contest on a 24-10 run and went into the locker up ahead 31-21.
Alfred (8-4/1-2 E8) trimmed the Gator advantage throughout the second half, including to a single-point, 47-46, with 8:32 remaining. RSC answered with a 12-5 run across the ensuing 5:04 to obtain some control. However, the host Saxons responded with a 8-2 jaunt during the following 2:18 to set up the exciting finish.
Junior forward Darren Miller led Alfred with 14 points and nine rebounds. He was one of three Saxons to score in twin figures.
Looking ahead, RSC plays at Houghton tomorrow at 4:00 pm.
Notes: The Gators have 10 players back in the fold this year…Senior guard Jalon Borders (Bartow, FL/Bartow), a two-time first-team All-Conference pick, headlines the group…He passed Jeff Stopera '14 for fifth on the program's career points chart on December 2 vs. SUNY Cobleskill…Next on the list for the senior guard, now with 899 points, is Melvin Ford '16 with 973…Senior forward/center Stuart Phair (Canberra, Australia/Tyler Christian School), who ranks second in program annals with 82 career blocks, and senior forward Jason Geronimo (Orlando, FL/Colonial) are captains on the year's team…Geronimo currently ranks seventh in school records with 381 career rebounds…Head Coach Brian Barnes, now in his 13th season, added four players to the program.
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