Empire 8 News

Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College Advance to Empire 8 Men's Basketball Final

After no lower-seeded team had won a game in the history of the Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship, third-seeded Nazareth College and fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College earned wins in this year's semifinals. The Golden Flyers defeated second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology 88-68, while the five-time defending Empire 8 champion Cardinals upset top-seeded Ithaca College 88-68.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The third-seeded Golden Flyers used a balanced scoring attack to defeat second-seeded Stevens 81-70 in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference tournament hosted by Ithaca. Senior Joe Canori recorded a team-high 22 points for Nazareth, but the Golden Flyers had four other players score in double-digits to secure the victory.

With the victory, Nazareth improves to 19-7 overall. The Golden Flyers will play rival St. John Fisher for the E8 title Saturday at 3 p.m. (WHTK-AM 1280 / www.whtk.com). Fisher upset Ithaca, 88-68, in the second game Friday. Stevens falls to 20-6 overall and will be hoping to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic bid.

Nazareth grabbed an 8-5 lead in the first few minutes of the game following a three-pointer from junior Ryan McAdam. Canori and sophomore Rayvon Higdon connected on a three-pointer and a layup respectively on the Golden Flyers' next two possessions to stretch Nazareth's lead to 13-7.

The Golden Flyers led by 10 points, 36-26, with 4:42 to play in the first half following two free throws from Ryan McAdam and another layup from Higdon. After allowing the Ducks to cut their lead to 38-35, sophomore Corey McAdam connected on a fade-away jumper in the closing seconds of the first half to give Nazareth a 40-35 lead.

Stevens began the second half with a 7-3 scoring run to pull within one point of the Golden Flyers, but the Ducks never seriously challenged Nazareth thereafter. The Golden Flyers scored 10 consecutive points in under two minutes to take a 53-42 lead with 15:16 left to play. Senior Tyler Smith began the scoring run with a layup then added a jumper following a three-pointer from Canori. Ryan McAdam capped off the scoring run with another three-pointer. Nazareth extended its lead to a game-high 15 points three times in the final seven minutes to secure the victory.

Corey McAdam finished second in scoring with 17 points and added a game-high 10 assists. McAdam's 10 assists also broke the tournament's assist record. Higdon tallied 15 points coming off the Golden Flyers' bench while Ryan McAdam contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds. Smith was Nazareth's fifth scorer in double-digits as he finished with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Waleed Farid led the Ducks with a game-high 23 points followed by Virgil Gray and Tim Williams with 14 and 12 points respectively. Williams also collected 10 rebounds for Stevens.

The Golden Flyers held a 46-35 rebounding advantage, however they turned the ball over 19 times compared to the Ducks' 10 turnovers.

Fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College knocked off host and No. 1 seed Ithaca College 88-68 on Friday night in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament.

With the win, Fisher (16-10) advances to Saturday’s title game at Ithaca and will play No. 3 Nazareth College at 3 p.m. The Golden Flyers advanced to Saturday’s title game with an 81-70 win over No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology.

Ithaca falls to 17-9 and will find out on Monday if it has received an NCAA Championship at-large bid or has been invited to play in the ECAC Upstate Championship.

Fisher hosted and won the Empire 8 Conference Championship in each of the tournament’s four previous years of existence. The Cardinals also won the Empire 8 title in the 2002-2003 season, giving the Cardinals five straight Empire 8 titles.

Fisher and Nazareth have played twice this year with the Golden Flyers winning each of the first two meetings.

With the game tied at 12 with 13:46 left in the first half, Fisher went on a 9-0 run, started by a 3-pointer from Will Cornett, followed by six straight points from sophomore Michael Wopperer.

Ithaca trimmed Fisher’s lead to 24-18, but the Cardinals went on another 9-0 run, capped by 3-pointers from Matt Newman and Chris Baltz.

The Cardinals, who led 43-29 at intermission, shot 17-of-33 (54.8%) from the floor in the first half, including 7-of-12 (58.3%) from 3-point range, while Bombers were 9-of-33 (27.3%) and 2-of-11 (18.2%), respectively.

The second half started much like how the first half ended, as the Cardinals opened the second stanza with a 13-4 run over the opening 5:20, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor, while the Bombers continued to struggle, going 1-for-8 from the field over the same span. The Cardinals kept a 20-point-plus lead until the closing moments.

Empire 8 All-Conference honorees Justin Beigel and Chris Baltz each finished with 18 points for the Cardinals, while guard Matt Newman notched 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Center/forward Isaiah Smalt grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and scored eight points in the win.




Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College Advance to Empire 8 Men's Basketball Final February 29, 2008 After no lower-seeded team had won a game in the history of the Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship, third-seeded Nazareth College and fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College earned wins in this year's semifinals. The Golden Flyers defeated second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology 88-68, while the five-time defending Empire 8 champion Cardinals upset top-seeded Ithaca College 88-68. No. 3 Nazareth 81, No. 2 Stevens 70 From Nazareth College Release ITHACA, N.Y. -- The third-seeded Golden Flyers used a balanced scoring attack to defeat second-seeded Stevens 81-70 in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference tournament hosted by Ithaca. Senior Joe Canori recorded a team-high 22 points for Nazareth, but the Golden Flyers had four other players score in double-digits to secure the victory. With the victory, Nazareth improves to 19-7 overall. The Golden Flyers will play rival St. John Fisher for the E8 title Saturday at 3 p.m. (WHTK-AM 1280 / www.whtk.com). Fisher upset Ithaca, 88-68, in the second game Friday. Stevens falls to 20-6 overall and will be hoping to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic bid. Nazareth grabbed an 8-5 lead in the first few minutes of the game following a three-pointer from junior Ryan McAdam. Canori and sophomore Rayvon Higdon connected on a three-pointer and a layup respectively on the Golden Flyers' next two possessions to stretch Nazareth's lead to 13-7. The Golden Flyers led by 10 points, 36-26, with 4:42 to play in the first half following two free throws from Ryan McAdam and another layup from Higdon. After allowing the Ducks to cut their lead to 38-35, sophomore Corey McAdam connected on a fade-away jumper in the closing seconds of the first half to give Nazareth a 40-35 lead. Stevens began the second half with a 7-3 scoring run to pull within one point of the Golden Flyers, but the Ducks never seriously challenged Nazareth thereafter. The Golden Flyers scored 10 consecutive points in under two minutes to take a 53-42 lead with 15:16 left to play. Senior Tyler Smith began the scoring run with a layup then added a jumper following a three-pointer from Canori. Ryan McAdam capped off the scoring run with another three-pointer. Nazareth extended its lead to a game-high 15 points three times in the final seven minutes to secure the victory. Corey McAdam finished second in scoring with 17 points and added a game-high 10 assists. McAdam's 10 assists also broke the tournament's assist record. Higdon tallied 15 points coming off the Golden Flyers' bench while Ryan McAdam contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds. Smith was Nazareth's fifth scorer in double-digits as he finished with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Waleed Farid led the Ducks with a game-high 23 points followed by Virgil Gray and Tim Williams with 14 and 12 points respectively. Williams also collected 10 rebounds for Stevens. The Golden Flyers held a 46-35 rebounding advantage, however they turned the ball over 19 times compared to the Ducks' 10 turnovers. No. 4 St. John Fisher 88, No. 1 Ithaca 68 From St. John Fisher College Release Fourth-seeded St. John Fisher College knocked off host and No. 1 seed Ithaca College 88-68 on Friday night in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament. With the win, Fisher (16-10) advances to Saturday’s title game at Ithaca and will play No. 3 Nazareth College at 3 p.m. The Golden Flyers advanced to Saturday’s title game with an 81-70 win over No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology. Ithaca falls to 17-9 and will find out on Monday if it has received an NCAA Championship at-large bid or has been invited to play in the ECAC Upstate Championship. Fisher hosted and won the Empire 8 Conference Championship in each of the tournament’s four previous years of existence. The Cardinals also won the Empire 8 title in the 2002-2003 season, giving the Cardinals five straight Empire 8 titles. Fisher and Nazareth have played twice this year with the Golden Flyers winning each of the first two meetings. With the game tied at 12 with 13:46 left in the first half, Fisher went on a 9-0 run, started by a 3-pointer from Will Cornett, followed by six straight points from sophomore Michael Wopperer. Ithaca trimmed Fisher’s lead to 24-18, but the Cardinals went on another 9-0 run, capped by 3-pointers from Matt Newman and Chris Baltz. The Cardinals, who led 43-29 at intermission, shot 17-of-33 (54.8%) from the floor in the first half, including 7-of-12 (58.3%) from 3-point range, while Bombers were 9-of-33 (27.3%) and 2-of-11 (18.2%), respectively. The second half started much like how the first half ended, as the Cardinals opened the second stanza with a 13-4 run over the opening 5:20, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor, while the Bombers continued to struggle, going 1-for-8 from the field over the same span. The Cardinals kept a 20-point-plus lead until the closing moments. Empire 8 All-Conference honorees Justin Beigel and Chris Baltz each finished with 18 points for the Cardinals, while guard Matt Newman notched 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Center/forward Isaiah Smalt grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and scored eight points in the win. << Back
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