Ford leads Nazareth over Morrisville
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Sophomore Brad Ford scored a career high with 25 points and also had a game-high nine rebounds Friday as Nazareth extended its men’s basketball record to 2-0 with an 86-62 victory over Morrisville in the first round of the Knee Center of Western New York Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Medaille.
The Golden Flyers will play Medaille in the tournament championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. Medaille defeated Roberts Wesleyan, 72-61, in the first game Friday.
Ford went 9-for-13 from the field and hit three three-point shots and made all four of his free throws for his 25 points. Nazareth made 12 three-pointers overall, including three from senior Jason Corletta, who added 13 points.
Nazareth trailed by two points, 29-27, late in the first half, but the Golden Flyers used an 18-2 scoring run over the final six minutes of the half to break open a close game and take a 45-31 lead at the midpoint. A basket by Ford with 1:31 to go in the half extended the lead to double figures, 42-31, for the first time and Nazareth was comfortably ahead the rest of the game.
Ford scored 16 of his points and grabbed five rebounds in the first half. Phil Scaffidi scored all eight of his points
Nazareth’s lead continued to grow in the second half. It was 55-35 following a three-point play by Dan Waldbillig Jason Corletta then hit from long distance to extend the lead to 58-36, with 17:00 left.
Junior Tyshun Stephens added 11 points and Waldbillig had 10 with eight rebounds.
Nazareth hit 31 of 72 shots from the field (43.1 percent), including 12 of 32 shots from three-point range (37.5 percent). More important, perhaps, is that the Golden Flyers committed just seven turnovers against some zone pressure from Morrisville. Stephens, Nazareth's point guard and primary ballhandler had a turnover-free night.