ALFRED, N.Y. - November 20, 2021 – Hiram women's basketball fell to the Alfred University Saxons, 70-62, on Saturday in their opening game of the Alfred Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Alfred State and Alfred University, at Orvis Gymnasium.
 
With a pair of layups by Madison Branch and Maddie Rakestraw, Hiram jumped out to an early 4-0 lead on the Saxons. Alfred would pull within one on a three-pointer by Grace Rittenhouse, before Rakestraw answered with a three of her own, giving the Terriers a 9-5 lead with 5:41 to play in the first.
 
The Saxons again closed the gap to just one with another three-pointer, but the Terriers ended the first quarter on a 12-5 run, highlighted by triples by Rakestraw and Taylor Valaitis, to take a 21-13 lead after one.
 
However, the Saxons quickly brought Hiram's lead back down to one, opening the second quarter with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the lead to 21-20 with 7:38 left in the first half.
 
Three straight Terrier buckets by Alex Lichner, Branch and Haley Thompson brought the lead back out to seven, and another layup by Branch made it 29-20 with just under five minutes remaining.
 
But another Saxon run made it a one-point game, 31-30, with under a minute left, before Karly Welty went 1-for-2 at the line to even the score at 31. However, Ella Dukarm beat the buzzer with her jumper, giving Hiram a 33-31 lead at the half.
 
The two sides went back-and-forth in the third, with Alfred University taking their first lead since the first quarter with 8:54 to play in the third on Rittenhouse's three-pointer. The Saxons led by as many as six in the third, before a Rakestraw triple pulled Hiram back within one, 44-43, midway through the quarter.
 
Another Rakestraw triple, one of four for the sophomore on the day, evened the score at 46-all, before the Saxons retook the lead and took a two-point, 51-49 lead into the final quarter of play.
 
An early three-pointer made it a five-point Saxons lead, before Rakestraw brought Hiram back within one with a pair of buckets, tying the game at 54-all with a made free throw on an and-on.
 
Alfred quickly retook the lead on an and-one from Welty, while Hiram countered with a layup by Valaitis to pull back within one.
 
This time though, after Leah Harkenrider's three-pointer made it a four-point Saxons lead, both teams fell silent from the floor, with no made baskets over the next four minutes of play.
 
Another three-pointer by Alfred made it 63-56 with under three to play, as the Saxons ended the game on a 13-6 run, knocking down their free throws to seal the 70-62 victory.
 
Hiram falls to 2-4 with the loss, while Alfred moves to 4-1 with the win.
 
Rakestraw led Hiram with a career-high 19 points, adding seven rebounds and two steals, while Branch added 19 points and a team-high seven assists. Valaitis joined the duo in double figures, scoring 10 points, while Thompson led the Terriers on the glass with 14 boards.
 
As a team, the Terriers shot 34.3 percent, but just 21.7 percent in the fourth quarter.
 
Hiram will look to bounce back when they wrap up the Alfred Tip-Off Classic on Sunday, Nov. 21 against the Alfred State Pioneers at noon.