ALFRED, NY – The Buffalo State women's basketball team fell short in their comeback effort as the team dropped their non-conference matchup with the Alfred State Pioneers this afternoon with a final score of 67-57 at the Orvis Gymnasium.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Alfred State – 67, Buffalo State – 57
LOCATION: Orvis Gymnasium – Alfred, NY
RECORDS: Alfred State: 3-8 (2-2 AMCC), Buffalo State: 3-5 (0-1 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Maddy Stearns (Clarence, NY/Clarence) led the Bengals with 17 points while also tallying eight rebounds.
• Kirsten Merritt (Cortland, NY/Cortland) posted her second-straight double-digit effort with 10 points.
• Tashawni Cornfield (The Seneca Nation/Putnam Science Academy, CT) had a team-high six steals while Xaneya Thomas (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) had a team-high 10 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bengals offense came out aggressive for the second consecutive contest scoring the first eight points overall.
• Alfred State responded with a 10-0 run to take the lead after the first quarter.
• The Pioneers stayed strong on offense in the second quarter outscoring the Bengals 16-11.
• After the half, Alfred State continued to pull away to lead by 21 heading into the final quarter of action.
• The Bengals offense found its rhythm in the fourth quarter slowly chipping away at the Pioneers lead.
• Buffalo State went on a dominant 15-0 run capped off by a layup from Stearns to cut the lead to just seven points with one minute to play.
• Despite an aggressive Bengals run, the Pioneers were able to hang on in the final seconds to secure the win.

FOR THE FOES

• Anna Merry led all scorers with 19 points while also chipping in eight rebounds.
• Jaiden Williams dished out three assists and scored 14 points of her own.

UP NEXT
The Bengals return to action after the New Year as they travel to Potsdam for a 5:30 pm matchup with the Bears.