BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Medaille College men's basketball team returned to action today for their Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) game against the Alfred State Pioneers. The Mavs dropped the conference game to the Pioneers losing 73-95. Medaille's record falls to 4-8 on the season and 1-3 in conference play.

The Pioneers put heavy pressure on the Mavericks defensively which led to an early layup in favor of Alfred State. Travis Sanders (Cleveland, OH, Euclid) grabbed the first points for the Mavs off of an offensive rebound tip-in. Alfred State kept up their full court press to force Medaille into making multiple turnovers. Jorge Latapia (Zaragoza, Spain, Colegio Aleman Zaragoza) charged back with a quick steal and made layup before the Pioneers went on a scoring streak to extend their lead. The Mavs missed multiple scoring opportunities in the paint before they tightened up on defense. Medaille raised the physicality of their game, fighting back from a 4-15 deficit after Sanders hit a three from deep. The Mavs covered well defensively under the basket to force the Pioneers into difficult shots. Kendall McGill (Largo, MD, Largo) and Jorarei Bile (Oxon Hill, MD, Oxon Hill) played tough in an effort to close the gap. The Mavs trailed 21-28 before the Pioneers hit two three-pointers to stay out in front. Medaille struggled to contain the Alfred State shooters and fell behind 37-50 going into halftime.

The Mavericks came out aggressive in the second half with a Latapia tip-in layup. The Pioneers continued their full court press to overwhelm the Mavs. Alfred State continuesd their shooting success beyond the arc to keep Medaille out of the game. The Mavericks gained some life from two three-pointers from Trevor Young (Buffalo, NY, Frederick Law Olmsted) but were unable to catch the Pioneers. Alfred State held all the momentum late in the second half going up 62-82 despite a late three from McGill and dunk from Young. The Pioneers held on to win the game 95-73.

The Mavs went 26-67 (37.3%) and 4-22 (18.2%) from beyond the arc. Medaille shot 19-25 (76%) from the free throw line and finished the game with 35 total rebounds.

Game leaders for the Mavericks were Jaqwan Washington (Bryan, TX, Bryan) with 15 points going 5-13 with three rebounds and two steals, McGill with 14 points going 6-19 with five rebounds and one steal. Sanders and Bile both grabbed 12 points and five steals each. Sanders also led the Mavs with three steals.

The Mavs return to play on Saturday, January 15 where they will face La Roche University at 4:00 p.m.