Melissa Reeves had 11 rebounds to lead Nazareth's dominance on the glass
Nazareth downs Fisher 65-50; Ithaca Beats Houghton 57-43
Nazareth 65, St. John FIsher 50
Nazareth seized control of Tuesday's Empire 8 women's basketball contest against St. John Fisher early in the opening period, and the Golden Flyers maintained their lead throughout the second half to defeat the Cardinals 65-50. Freshman
Lindsey Kelly amassed a game-high 21 points while senior
Erica Shaw added 14 points.
With the victory, Nazareth jumps into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Empire 8 standings with a 6-6 record. Fisher and Stevens also stand at 6-6 in conference games.
The Golden Flyers' stingy defense allowed Fisher to score only nine points through the first 11 minutes of the game to establish their lead. The Cardinals managed only five baskets on 30 shots (17 percent) in the opening period. Nazareth's stifling defense held Fisher without a field goal for over eight minutes.
Nazareth stretched its lead to 10 points, 23-13, before settling for a 24-15 advantage at the break.
The Cardinals closed to within five points, 27-22, but Nazareth responded with a 12-6 run to extend its lead to double-digits with about 13 minutes remaining in regulation.
Nazareth also converted 16 free throw opportunities, including eight for eight from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
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Ithaca 57, Houghton 43
The Ithaca College women's basketball team (21-2) scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed in a 57-43 home victory over Houghton (10-14) at Ben Light Gymnasium.
Kathryn Campbell scored six of her team-high 14 points in the first six minutes of play as Ithaca established a comfortable early lead. Ithaca's lead grew to as many as 19 points in the first half, but Houghton cut the deficit to just 10 points with a 9-0 lead over the final four minutes of the first half.
A similar trend took place in the second half, as Ithaca built a 20-point lead five minutes into the half, but Houghton whittled the margin down to six. The Bombers closed the game on a 14-6 run to account for the final score.
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