ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Junior Katie Kollar scored a game-high 22 points to help lead Nazareth to a 77-64 victory over visiting Alfred in a women's Empire 8 basketball game Tuesday evening. Junior Brittany TallChief had a game-high 12 rebounds to give the Golden Flyers a 48-38 advantage in rebounds.
With the victory, Nazareth improves to 4-4 in Empire 8 games and 8-9 overall. The Saxons drop to 2-5 in conference games and 6-9 overall.
After surrendering the first basket of the game, the Golden Flyers answered with eight straight points and never trailed again. Junior Brittany Wilson ignited Nazareth's early run with the Golden Flyers' first four points followed by a three-point basket from Kollar and a free throw from junior Brittany Patenaude.
With 9:16 remaining in the first half, Nazareth stretched its lead to 15 points, 29-14, following two free throws by Wilson. Three-point baskets by Kollar, freshman Lizabeth Hall, and sophomore Jenee Vanderstyne were pivotal in extending the Golden Flyers' lead.
The Saxons trimmed their deficit to four points, 37-33, with 2:38 to play in the first half, but Alfred was unable to inch closer. On Nazareth's next possession, freshman Rebecca Rumschik connected on a three-point attempt to thwart Alfred's rally. The Golden Flyers finished the half shooting 40 percent (6-15) from beyond the arc to maintain their lead.
Patenaude opened the second half with another three-point basket to extend Nazareth's lead to 10 points. Kollar gave the Golden Flyers a game-high 17-point lead 4:14 into the second half after connecting on a two-point jumper. With 6:19 remaining in regulation, the Saxons chipped Nazareth's lead to seven points, but Alfred was unable to challenge for the lead. The Golden Flyers responded to the Saxons' rally with a 17-7 scoring run over the following five minutes to secure the victory. Nazareth connected on 28-38 (74 percent) of its free throw attempts during the course of the contest, including 19 free throws in the second half.
In addition to the points from Kollar, Wilson finished with 16 points while TallChief and Patenaude added eight points and seven points, respectively. Vanderstyne finished with a game-high five assists and junior Danielle Chamberlain recorded four assists.
Alfred had three players finish in double figures. Lyndsay Murphy tallied a team-high 21 points, followed by Grace Williamson with 15 points and Lauren Sanford with 13 points. Williamson also recorded a team-high seven rebounds for the Saxons.