HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Houghton Highlanders extended their cross-county winning streak over Alfred State College to four consecutive years, defeating the visiting Pioneers in the season opener for both teams, 85-74.
 
Sophomore Dylan Lambert scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, fending off any comeback attempts after the Highlanders secured a ten-point halftime lead.
 
Game Vitals
Score: Houghton – 85 | Alfred State – 74
Records: Houghton: 1-0 | Alfred State: 0-1
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY | Attendance: 254

Key Moments
>> The Pioneers jumped out to an early advantage, leading by as many as six nearly mid-way through the first half. But three-pointers by Mike Clark and Samuel Ortega, followed by a three-point play by Phil Pellegrino gave the Highlanders a lead inside of eight minutes to the half that they would never relinquish.
 
The Highlanders closed out the half with two buckets in the paint by freshman Cody Johnson and two more by Lambert and Johnathan Stowe, extending their lead to 10 heading into the break.
 
>> While Houghton led by as many as 15 points in the second half, Alfred State trimmed the deficit to only five points on a jumper by Tyrone Davis with only 4:15 remaining in the game. A three-point play from Stowe, and a clutch runner in the paint from Lambert with three minutes left put the Highlanders up for good.
 
As Alfred State was forced to foul, Houghton sank 10 of 12 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory.
 
Key Stats
>> The Highlanders sank 20 of 25 free throws (80 percent) for the game, while the Pioneers converted only seven of 17 (41.2 percent) from the line.
>> While Alfred State outpaced the Highlanders on converting turnovers into points, 25-15, Houghton's bench outscored the Pioneers', 25-20.
>> Stowe collected 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnson added 10 points.
>> Junior Michael Clark scored nine points, picked up three steals and dished out eight assists for Houghton.
>> Tyrone Davis led Alfred State, scoring 11 points and posting 12 assists.

Coach's Corner
"I thought the guys played hard," stated Houghton coach Corky McMullen after his first win as a head coach. "Our seniors played well and we had key minutes from our bench. Stowe was a beast on the boards and kept a lot of possessions alive for us. Mike [Clark] was a spark for us, really making some good plays for his teammates.
 
"Dylan Lambert had a real gutsy performance and carried us for a while in the second half.
 
"There are definitely areas where we need to get better—our transition defense and defensive rebounding are two in particular—but overall it was a good way to start our season."
 
Next Time Out
Houghton next hosts Wells College on Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m. in the Nielsen Center. The two teams have met each of the last two seasons. Houghton won both contests.