Women's Basketball | 2/3/2009 8:48:00 PM
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ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT (3-17, 0-11) women's basketball team was defeated by Alfred University (10-8, 4-5 E8) 58-55 in Empire 8 action from Clark Gym on Tuesday night. RIT freshman,
#Charley Scott-McGrail (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame)# (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame) scored a career high 21 points and #
Sharon Dennis (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool)# (Liverpool, NY) chipped in 21 points and 15 rebounds.
The Tigers struggled through much of the first half trailing by as many as nine points on two occasions. Lyndsay Murphy's three-pointer with 2:23 remaining in the half gave the Saxons a 31-22 lead.
RIT scored the final four points of the half to cut Alfred's lead to 31-26. Scott-McGrail led RIT with 10 first-half points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Dennis added seven points and had eight rebounds.
Alfred came out and led by as many as 18 points in the second half. Melanie Jackson's layup with 13:34 remaining gave the Saxons their largest lead of the game at 48-30.
RIT responded with a 15-2 run over the next 6:01, pulling to within three points on a
Sharon Dennis (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) layup with 7:24 remaining.
With five minutes remaining Dennis threw an errant pass that was intercepted by Abbey Schaffnit who found a streaking Libby Meier. She layed it in giving the Saxons a 52-46 lead.
Scott-McGrail's free throws with 3:49 remaiing in regulation capped off a mini RIT run and cut Alfred's lead to two points at 52-50.
Lyndsay Murphy, who finished with a game-high 27 points, scored two straight buckets for Alfred bringing the lead back to six points at the three minute mark.
RIT fought right back. Scott-McGrail's layup cut the deficit to four points.
#Rachel Bruno (Clyde, NY/Clyde-Savannah)'s# (Clyde, NY/Clyde-Savannah) free throw cut the lead down to three points and a
Sharon Dennis (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) layup with 26 seconds remaining made it a one point game at 55-56.
Bruno had a chance to give the Tigers a lead but her runner in the lane with nine seconds remaining came up short and the rebound came to Hannah Meier who was fouled.
She stepped up and made both ends of the one-and-one giving Alfred a 58-55 lead. The Tigers got the ball down the court and eventually it went to Bruno who was open, but her three pointer was off the mark.
RIT shot 35.6% from the floor on 21-of-59 shooting. RIT was 2-of-13 from behind the arc and made just 11-of-24 free throws.
Lyndsay Murphy finished with 27 points, 10 assists and four rebounds to pace the Saxons.
RIT is off until Tuesday, February 10 when they face St. John Fisher at 6 pm in Pittsford, New York.
