Alfred, NY - The Broncos (1-1) took down Alfred State 79-74 in a close battle Saturday afternoon for their first win since February 17th, 2020. The Broncos look revamped and ready to make their mark on the 2022-23 season after five Broncos scored in double-digits.
"I'm very proud of everyone today. We fought hard through adversity and played really well as a team," said head coach Aiden McRoberts, "we got some crucial rebounds and capitalized on the offensive side down the stretch."
The Green and Gold Faught from behind for the majority of the first half, finding themselves down as much as 11 points at one point. They would go into the half down just six points to the Pioneers, 39-33. Freshman Francesca Vassilakos was leading the way with 11 points on three three-pointers and a 50% shooting percentage. The Delhi bench really stepped up, outscoring their opponent's bench 11-1 as freshman Jayda Allen and Ma'Kira Busnie combined for the 11.
The second half saw the Broncos fight their way back into the game as there were eight lead changes. It went down to the final minutes until a clutch three from Francesca Vassilakos with 57-seconds remaining to put them up 75-73 sealed the deal. Delhi would go on to hold on to lead by hitting all four of their free throw attempts. Freshman Aniyah Jones was huge for the Broncos in their big fourth quarter, scoring 13 of the team's 22 points. While Allen also had a big fourth stepping up and making some great hustle plays.
Jones would end her night with 18 points, six rebounds and two assists. Vassilakos added a team-high 19 points with five three-point baskets. While freshman Busnie and Allen would end up with a pair of double-doubles. Ma'Kira Busnie had 14 rebounds with nine offensive boards to go along 15 points. Jayden Allen with 12 rebounds and five offensive rebounds, scoring 10 points.
Justine Lubbers also added a double-digit point performance with 11 points. The Broncos bench outscored the Pioneer's bench 27-6 as everyone was contributing for the Green and Gold. They only led for almost seven minutes but ended up grabbing it late in a great come-from-behind win to start the season off on a positive point.
Their next game will be away against Utica on November 16th and 6:30 PM.
