HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Houghton seniors Tyler McQuaid (Lowman, NY, Twin Tiers Christian Academy) and Brandon Camacho (Dundee, NY, Dundee High School) finished their careers on a high note on Thursday night, defeating Empire 8 rival Alfred University in front of the home crowd, 80-78.
 
In their final game pounding the hardcourt in the Nielsen Center, McQuaid eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone with an early layup on the first half.  He would finish with 14 points, concluding his career with 1,013.
 
Camacho took over down the stretch, finishing with 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
 
The Saxons jumped out to an early lead, going up by as many as six and, with the exception of brief tie midway through the half, maintained their advantage throughout.  After the first 20 minutes Alfred entered the locker room up by five.
 
Showing no sign of fatigue, the Saxons opened the second half with a 12-5 run, extending their lead to 12 points. 
 
Over the next five minutes the Highlanders would answer.  A layup by McQuaid and a jumper by Camacho gave Houghton their first lead of the game with a little more than 11 minutes to play.
 
Alfred again took the lead, but two minutes later Camacho sank a three pointer to take it back for the Highlanders.
 
In the ensuring seven minutes the lead would change hands seven times.
 
Finally, Jordan Scott (Burlington, ON, Canada, Notre Dame Secondary) sank a free throw to tie the game, 75-75, then moments later Camacho fed Jordan Scott (Burlington, ON, Canada, Notre Dame Secondary) for a three from the corner to put the Highlanders up by three with less than two minutes to play.
 
A pair of free throws by Alfred's Dalton Cousin brought the Saxons to within one with 16 ticks left on the clock and a Houghton turnover gave them the ball again.
 
With three second remaining the Saxons found a lane and had an open layup, but the ball glanced off the front of the rim and was corralled by Lambert, sealing the victory for the Highlanders.
 
The Highlanders conclude their season with the most overall wins in 20 years, and the most conference victories since joining the Empire 8 four years ago.
 
Game Vitals:
      >Score:  Houghton College - 80   |   Alfred University - 78
      >Records:  Houghton College: 12-13 (6-10 Empire 8)   |   Alfred: 9-14 (5-10 Empire 8)
      >Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY    |    Attendance: 235
 
Clutch Performances:
The Highlanders:
      >McQuaid posted 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
      >In addition to Camacho's 17 points, he also dished out four assists.
      >Phil Pellegrino (Rochester, NY, Alfred University) added 13 points.
 
The Saxons:
      >Julian Reinhardt led all scorers with 24 point and Dalton Cousin added 15 points and seven rebounds.
 
       
Stat Analysis:
      >Houghton shot a red-hot 61 percent from the floor (17-28) in the second half, including 54 percent (7-13) from beyond the three-point line.