Two Home Wins; Two Road Wins

Two Home Wins; Two Road Wins

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Nazareth 82, Hartwick 72 (Box Score)
Visiting Nazareth used multiple second-half scoring runs to pull away from Hartwick 82-72 in a men's Empire 8 Conference basketball game on Friday evening. Seniors Jack Giles and Brad Ford and sophomore Mitch Ford totaled 63 of the Golden Flyers' points. With his 13 points and 10 rebounds, Brad Ford recorded his 11th double-double in 18 games this season.

The opening 4:23 of the second half featured four lead changes and one tie before Giles' shot from beyond the arc with 15:37 to play in regulation lifted Nazareth to a 45-44 lead. Giles basket was the beginning of 11 consecutive points for the Golden Flyers, which changed a 44-42 deficit into a 53-44 lead. Following his initial three-pointer, Giles connected on another three-pointer less than a minute later. On Nazareth's following possession, freshman Josh Gillard connected on his three-point attempt. Giles capped the run with a layup.

Leading 55-49 with 9:35 to play, Nazareth took control of the game with another scoring run. The Golden Flyers outscored the Hawks 7-0 in the span of just one minute to stretch its lead to 13 points, 62-49. Giles ignited the run with a layup before Mitch Ford converted two free throw attempts. Brad Ford capped the run with a three-point basket. Following Ford's three, the Golden Flyers maintained their double-digit advantage throughout the remainder of the contest. With six free throws in a span of 38 seconds at the end of the game, Nazareth stretched its lead to a game-high 17 points, 78-61, before claiming the 10-point win.

Stevens 76, St. John Fisher 59 (Box Score)
Junior forward Patrick Sabatino scored 30 points on 13-of-19 shooting to help the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a 76-59 Empire 8 win over St. John Fisher College Friday night at the Canavan Arena.

Fisher opened a four-point lead with 18:15 remaining in regulation, but the Ducks responded with an 8-0 run to swing the momentum and the lead for good. Gan found Sabatino for a layup, and Matt Skrelja forced a turnover and tied the game on the next possession. Skrelja then found Evan Klimchak for a three-pointer to give Stevens the lead, and Skrelja recorded another theft before finding Sabatino underneath for a layup, making the score 39-34 with 16:39 left.
 
The Cardinals would close within one 2:25 later, but a jumper from Sabatino and an Andrew Meszaros three-pointer from the right wing gave the Ducks a six-point cushion. Fisher closed within two, but another clutch Meszaros three kept the momentum from shifting, and after another Skrelja steal, freshman forward Michael Signer canned a huge three from the right wing for an eight-point lead. Senior guard Phillip DeSeignora made it three-straight Stevens three's over a span of 1:37 to turn a two-point lead to 11 as the Cardinals could not get closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
The Ducks hit a total of 11 triples on the night (11-for-21), including a remarkable 8-of-10 in the second half. Stevens also committed just 10 turnovers, while dishing out 22 assists on its 31 made baskets. The Ducks also held a 37-33 edge on the glass, shooting 31-for-64 (48.4 percent) from the floor (19-for-30 in the second half).


Alfred 96, Utica 93 (Box Score)
Alfred University's Ryan Mahon drilled the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Saxons to a 96-93 victory over host Utica College in Empire 8 Conference action at the Clark Athletic Center on Friday night. 

Alfred used a 21-10 run in the final 5:44 of the contest to rally past the Pioneers. The match up featured ten ties and six lead changes.  Utica's largest lead of the game was 13 points, 60-47, 3:18 into the second half of play.  The Pioneers led the majority of the contest (66.8%), holding the lead for a total of 26:43 throughout until surrendering the lead for good with 2:17 left in regulation. 

Alfred's run and gun style of play saw 15 players step foot on the court, 12 of whom netted at least two points.  Thomas Tsatsis led the way for the Saxons with a team-high 18 points, while Jerry Kincel added 17 points.  Mahon scored 14 on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor while 6-foot-8 big man Steve Lothridge chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

The Pioneers' used a 20-8 run in a span of 4:50 late in the first half to take a commanding ten point lead, 42-32, with 3:49 remaining before the halftime horn.  Alfred answered with an 11-4 run in the final 3:34 of the first half to cut their deficit to 46-43 at the half. 

UC opened the second half on a 14-4 run in a span of 3:33 to gain its largest lead of the game, 60-47, early in the second half.  Lewis led the charge with seven points in the span. 

Alfred slowly chipped away at the Pioneers lead throughout the second half, but UC still managed a six point advantage, 85-79, with 4:29 left in regulation.  However, a 9-2 run in a span of 1:47, capped by a Tim Pacheco layup with 2:17 left in regulation gave the Saxons their first lead since the first half, 90-89. 

UC would tie the score twice in the closing minutes to keep the Clark Athletic Center crowd on the edge of their seats.  Utica point guard Aaron Nevins tied the score at 93-93 when he made a lay-up and was fouled with nine seconds left on the game clock.  Nevins missed the ensuing free throw and Alfred had time for one final possession.  Tsatsis drove the lane and collapsed the Pioneer defense, then found Mahon at the top of the arc.  Mahon cashed in on the 3-pointer as time expired to push the Saxons to their 14th victory of the season.  The Alfred bench cleared as it celebrated their sixth conference victory. 


Elmira 89, Houghton 68 (Box Score)
A 21-point second half effort from Chris Cassidy blew open what was a seven-point game at the half as the Elmira College men's basketball team defeated Houghton College, 89-68. The Soaring Eagles scored 49 points in the second half, the most points scored in a half this season and also the most scored in a half since EC dropped 54 points in the second half against Ithaca College on December 7, 2010.

The game was a back-and-forth affair in the early goings as the lead changed hands five times and the game was knotted up twice. The Highlanders used a quick 7-0 run to take a 14-9 lead but the five-point spread would be the largest that Houghton would have all game as the Soaring Eagles came right back. Randolph converted a traditional three-point play to cap off a 9-0 EC stretch that put the Purple and Gold in front for good.

From that point on, Elmira would continue to grow their lead, reaching a max of 13 with 4:28 to play in the first half. Houghton cut into the deficit a bit but EC still took a 40-33 lead into the locker rooms.

The second half was all Elmira as the men led by double-digits for most of the final 20 minutes of play. The Highlanders were able to cut it to a nine-point game, 65-56, with 7:07 to play, but the Soaring Eagles responded with 17-6 run over the next five minutes to break open a 20-point advantage. EC was able to cruise over the final two minutes of play to the 89-68 victory.


           
SCHOOL CONF OVERALL
Stevens 7-2 13-5
Hartwick 7-2 12-7
Nazareth 6-2 13-5
Alfred 5-2 14-4
St. John Fisher 5-4 11-8
Elmira 1-5 6-11
Utica 1-8 6-12
Ithaca 1-8 5-14
Houghton 0-0 3-15
Houghton is an NCAA provisional member and is not eligible for postseason. Games against the Highlanders will not impact conference records/standings.