Alfred, NY - On Friday night the SUNY Brockport men's basketball team had its win streak snapped by Alfred University. The Saxons took the win, 69-49, as Brockport moves to 14-9 overall and 12-2 in E8 play.

Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles have officially claimed the 2024-25 Empire 8 Regular Season Championship and they will enter the E8 Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Tony Arnold stood out for the Brockport basketball team with his defensive play, recording two steals and contributing six points on 3-of-6 shooting. 

Emilio Nabli also made an impact defensively with a team-high three steals, alongside scoring four points. 

Zachary Rice led the team in rebounding with nine total rebounds, including eight defensive boards, while also adding three points and two assists. 

Alex Tavarez was the leading scorer for Brockport, tallying 13 points, going 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Brockport started the first half strong, establishing an early 9-0 lead by 15:49 with Alex Tavarez and Zachary Rice contributing key points. The Saxons managed to shrink the gap, and by 2:36, they took a brief lead at 22-20, fueled by a series of successful 3-pointers. 

The half ended with a close score of 31-30 in favor of the Saxons, as Brockport's Tavarez scored a late 3-pointer and added two free throws to keep the game tight.

At the start of the second half, Brockport's Alex Tavarez quickly responded after a pair of free throws by Tyler Curran of the Saxons, narrowing the gap to one point with a successful jumper. Despite strong defensive rebounds by Brockport, the Saxons extended their lead to 22 points by the end of the half, with Tyler Hind contributing significantly for the home team. 

Key plays for Brockport included a 3-pointer from Jacob Oka at 14:38, which briefly brought the score to 37-38, and Tony Arnold's fast-break jumper at 3:32 that brought the score to 39-45. Despite efforts from players like Emilio Nabli and Christian Amica, who also added points from free throws, the half ended with the Saxons leading 69-49.

Brockport looks to bounce back on the road against Houghton on Saturday for a 4pm tip-off.