Comeback Falls Short as Saxons Defeat Gators
Russell Sage College Women’s Basketball fell 59-54 to Alfred in an Empire 8 Conference matchup on Friday.
ALFRED, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Women’s Basketball fell 59-54 to Alfred in an Empire 8 Conference matchup on Friday.
The Gators, who trailed 50-34 through three periods, outscored the Saxons 20-9 in the fourth quarter, but the comeback attempt came up short as Alfred picked up the Friday evening conference victory.
Senior forward Aniyah Kelley (New Castle, DE/William Penn) contributed a Gator-high 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while guard Kyla Smith (Sprakers, NY/Fonda-Fultonville/Fredonia)
Senior Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) was also in double digits, contributing ten points, and junior forward Danielle Waldron (Cayuga, NY/Union Springs) grabbed eight rebounds.
Alfred (11-12/5-9 E8) was led by Jaidyn Chest, who scored a game-high 24 points. The guard was the lone Saxon in double-digits.
RSC (14-9/9-5 E8) is back in action tomorrow as they match up against Houghton.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: The 2025-2026 season marks the second with Michael Branche at the helm of Russell Sage College Women’s Basketball…The Gators have now qualified for the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament in both of his seasons at the helm…RSC, coming off a trip to the Quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament, combined eight returners with four newcomers on this year’s roster…Senior guard Layla Acosta (Haines City, FL/Haines City) and junior forward Kallie Hopkins (Millsboro, DE/Poly Tech) highlight the returnees…Acosta, a two-time All-Conference pick, became just the tenth RSC player to surpass 1,000 career points in the home win vs. SUNY Cobleskill on December 1…She entered/concluded/opened the weekend/week fourthfinished the week/weekend ranked third