HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Phil Pellegrino finished his career as a Houghton Highlander by nailing his second game-winning three-pointer in the last three games to defeat the Alfred University Saxons, 87-86, in front of a raucous Nielsen Center crowd.
 
Pellegrino crossed the 1,000 point threshold for his career in the first two minutes of the game, sinking a pair of free throws.  He finished his night with 14 points.
 
Dylan Lambert carried the Highlanders throughout the game, scoring a career-high 41 points, including several clutch baskets in the closing minutes.
 
Alfred overcame a 13-point half-time deficit to take a late lead down the stretch thanks to a barrage of three-pointers. 
 
Tyler Seelman hit seven consecutive triples, and Dom LeMorta sank 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.  The Saxon duo finished with 29 and 18 points apiece, respectively.
 
On the night when Houghton honored four seniors, three—Pellegrino, Johnathan Stowe and Jordan Scott—scored 14 points apiece.  Stowe added eight rebounds and six assists, Scott chipped in seven assists and four rebounds, and John Nelson added three blocks and three assists.
 
With tonight's victory, the Highlanders reached the 10-win plateau for the second consecutive season (12 wins last season); the first time the program has accomplished that feat since 1994-95 and 1995-96.
 
Game Vitals
Score: Houghton – 87| Alfred – 86
Records: Houghton: 10-15 (5-11 Empire 8) | Alfred: 10-15 (7-9 Empire 8)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 330

Key Moments
>> After the Saxons grabbed an early six-point lead, the Highlanders reeled off seven straight points, including a pair of baskets by Stowe. 
 
Seelman cut the Houghton lead to one, but on the ensuing possession Lambert drained a three and drew the foul, sinking the free throw for the four-point play.
 
Houghton then proceeded to carve out a 12-2 run that put them up by 15.
 
>> On the opening possession of the second half Scott buried a three to put Houghton up by 16, but Alfred would not go quietly.  The Saxons peeled off a 16-2 run before Scott sank another three to keep the Houghton lead at five.
 
Seelman and LeMorta then combined for back-to-back threes to give Alfred its first lead of the second half.
 
>> With 4:25 remaining in the game Lambert and Seelman again traded threes before Sage Brown put the Saxons up by three with a layup.
 
Lambert quickly answered again with another three-pointer to tie the game at 80. 
 
Moments later LeMorta tied the game, 84-84, with his fourth three of the half.  But Nelson found Pellegrino coming off a screen seconds later for the game winner. 
 
The Saxons had a pair of looks at the basket in the closing seconds, but two deep balls rimmed out before Eric Adams finished a desperation layup to close out the game within one.
 
Key Stats
>> The Saxons shot a red-hot 13-of-22 (59 percent) from three-point land in the second half, and 18-of-35 (51 percent) on the night.
 
>> Houghton committed 17 turnovers while the Saxons gave the ball away only 11 times.  But the Highlanders shot an unbelievable 68 percent (13-of-19) from the floor in the second half, including 73 percent (8-of-11) from beyond the arc.

>> Seelman finished 9-of-16 on three-point shots.  In addition to his team-high 29 points, he also dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds.
 
 Coach's Corner
"What a great way to go out for our seniors.  I am honored to have coached these young men for their season. 
 
"We couldn't have asked for a better senior class to lead this team on and off the floor.  This program will reap the benefits of these men for a long time.
 
"Hats off to our crowd.  That was a great atmosphere in the Nielsen Center tonight.
 
"As far as the season goes, our group of guys bought in to what we were trying to do.  That's not easy to do in the first season with a new coaching staff.  We are really proud of how these young men put their own agenda on the shelf for the betterment of the team.
 
"We are even more proud of how these guys have handled themselves off the court.
 
"We are excited about the future of our team.  We have some great pieces in place and are only going up." –Coach Corky McMullen