Alfred, NY – The Alfred State women's basketball team fell short to the Penn State Behrend Lions, 59-47. Alfred's record drops to 3-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Sarah Somers led the way for the Pioneers, putting together a dominant offensive performance with 19 points and seven rebounds on 8-14 shooting. Kirsten Merritt followed with nine points—all from behind the arc—while Taylor Benjamin crashed the boards for 12 total rebounds.

To start the action, the Pioneers struck first with a layup from Emeline Barton. Both teams traded buckets early, with Alfred seeing strong contributions from Merritt and Somers. However, Behrend slowly pulled ahead, 13-9. Merritt knocked down a triple to cut the deficit to 13-12, then later buried her third three of the quarter to tie the game at 15-15 with 2:38 remaining.

In the second period, the Lions pushed out to a 21-15 lead. Behind key plays from Somers, Alfred narrowed the gap to three, 27-24, before entering halftime trailing 29-24.

In the third quarter, the Pioneers continued fighting to regain control. With under four minutes remaining, Jordan Niles converted a layup and a free throw to cut the deficit to 37-34. Behrend responded, taking a 39-34 lead into the fourth.

To open the final period, Benjamin drilled a triple to make it a two-possession game. After Behrend answered with a pair, Taylor Searle scored inside once more to bring it to 41-39. As the fourth continued, the Lions slowly pulled away, and the Pioneers ultimately fell 59-47.

Alfred will head to Greensburg, PA next on Saturday, December 13 where they will face off against the Bobcats. Tipoff is set for 1pm.