Pioneers Walk Off with Win

Tahaij Lewis (Rochester/Greece Olympia) grabbed a rebound and was fouled as time expired. After missing the first shot, Lewis hit the second to lift Alfred State to a 80-79 victory over Houghton in a tight contest as both teams head into the Thanksgiving break.

The contest featured seven ties and seven lead changes. Alfred State led by as many as 12 points in the 1st half but the Highlanders rallied back and trailed by only three, 40-37, at the half. The Pioneers led by as many as seven multiple times in the second half but could not put away Houghton. Houghton tied the game at 66-66 with just over seven minutes left.

The Pioneers built a 76-71 lead but Houghton rallied again and tied the game at 76 with a three-pointer by Isander Ramos-Net with 2:05 remaining. Dylan Lambert hit a lay-up with 58 seconds left to make it 78-76 but Marcus Rhett (Middletown) answered with a lay-up of his own with 36 seconds left. With 12 seconds left Jordan Holmes was fouled and hit one of two shots to tie the game up.

After an Alfred State timeout, the Pioneers three-point attempt for the victory was short. Lewis was able to grab the board and was fouled as the horn expired. Standing alone at the foul line, Lewis was able to hit the second of two shots to lift the Pioneers to their second straight victory (3-2).

Juwan Toliver (Buffalo/McKinley) led five Pioneers in double figures. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Lewis finished with 16 points and seven rebounds while Kevin Goode (Rochester/Bishop Kearney) finished with 15. Owen Spencer (Perry) had 14 and Josh Reding (Rochester/Spencerport) had 12.

Lambert was 11 for 22 (4 for 8 from three) from the field and led Houghton with 35 points. Holmes finished with 18 and Scottie Berghaus added 17. All 79 Highlander points came from their starters.

Alfred State shot 48.4% (31 for 64) from the field, 37.5% (12 for 32) from three, and 75% (6 for 8) from the foul line while Houghton shot 47.4% (27 for 57) from the field, 52% from three (13 for 25), and 85.7% (12 for 14) from the line.

The Pioneers host Hilbert on Saturday at 3 p.m. looking to extend their winning streak.