Men's Basketball | 2/29/2020 12:52:56 AM
Top-seed Nazareth College will host No. 2 seed St. John Fisher College for the 2019-20 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29 from Kidera Gymnasium on the campus of Nazareth. The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2020 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, which begins on March 6-7.
Nazareth improved to 21-5 overall and won its 15th game in the last 16 contests after defeating No. 4 seed Sage, 95-85 in the first semifinal on Friday evening. Friday's win featured more scoring balance from a Golden Flyers team that has five players who have double digit scoring averages. Zach Stenglein had 24 points with five assists and Stephen Gabel added 23 points with four assists and four 3-point baskets. Cody Green had six 3-pointers for 18 points and Jonathan Park had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Sage's Jalon Borders led all scorers with 34 points, the second highest single-game point total in Sage history.
The Golden Flyers boast five players averaging in double figures, including all Empire 8 first team selection Gabel, who leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.4 points to go along with 6.8 boards per game. Stenglein, the 2020 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, is right behind, averaging 15.9 points per game, while leading the conference with 4.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Jonathan Park, an All-Empire 8 second team pick, leads the league, shooting 60 percent from the floor, while averaging E8-best marks of 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Cody Green leads the E8 with 75 made 3-pointers and is shooting 43.9 percent from behind the arc.
St. John Fisher, who earned a share of the 2019-20 Empire 8 regular season title is 18-8 overall, 12-2 in league play. The Cardinals advanced to the Empire 8 Championship game for the second straight season, after knocking off No. 3 seed Utica, 81-68 in the second semifinal from Nazareth Friday night. Senior Dennis Hare poured in a game-high 22 points in the win after going 7-for-12 from the field and 8-for-9 from the line. He also captured five rebounds, handed out three assists and came away with two steals in 33 minutes. Fellow senior Sammy Robinson, the 2020 Empire 8 Player of the Year, finished with 16 points and four rebounds while classmate James Leone added 15 points and grabbed seven boards.
Robinson leads the Cardinals and is second in the Empire 8 in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game to go along with 5.2 boards per game. Hare is averaging 13.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor, which ranks second in the league. James Leone leads the team in rebounding (6.3 per game), while Sean Williams leads Fisher in assists (3.7 per game) and steals (1.9 per contest).
The Golden Flyers and Cardinals split a pair of hard-fought battles earlier in the season. Park hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds that gave Nazareth a 75-73 win at Kidera Gymnasium on Jan. 28. St. John Fisher exacted revenge by pulling out a 79-75 win in the regular season finale on its home court on Feb. 22. Park had 16 points and 15 rebounds in Nazareth’s win on Jan. 28, while Hare led Fisher with 25 points, six boards and four assists in Fisher’s victory last weekend.
Nazareth is looking for its fourth league championship overall and second in the last three years. St. John Fisher is going for its ninth E8 title, having most recently won in 2016-17.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2020 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Friday, February 28 – Semifinals at Nazareth
No. 1 Nazareth 95, No. 4 Sage 85
No. 2 St. John Fisher 81, No. 3 Utica 68
Saturday, February 29 - Championship Final at Nazareth
No. 2 St. John. Fisher at No. 1 Nazareth – 4 p.m.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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