Men's Basketball | 1/15/2022 5:46:00 PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Host Nazareth won a battle of Empire 8 unbeaten teams Saturday as the Golden Flyers used a late first-half scoring run to stun Utica in men's basketball, 79-39, on Mike Daley Court at the Kidera Gymnasium.
Nazareth won for the 11th straight time to improve to 13-1 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8. Utica is 9-3 and 3-1. The victory gave Nazareth sole possession of first place in the Empire 8.
Zach Stenglein led all scorers with 18 points and was one of four players to produce double digit point totals. Logan Blankenberg, Stephen Gabel and Kevin Underwood each scored 12 points. Overall, 12 different players cracked the scoring column for the Golden Flyers.
The game was tight for the first 10 minutes and was tied 17-17 following a Utica basket with 10:07 left. Jonathan Park followed with a basket for Nazareth to touch off a 21-3 scoring run that pushed Nazareth to a 38-20 halftime advantage. Stenglein scored 11 of his points in the first half, including two baskets during the late scoring spree.
Underwood sank two free throws with 2:58 left in the the half and then completed a three-point play with 2:09 to go to extend Nazareth's lead to double digits at 30-19. Nazareth then closed the half with a three-pointer from Jack Broderick, two free throws from Brendan Broderick and another basket by Stenglein.
There was no let-up in the second half as Nazareth outscored the Pioneers 18-2 over the first six minutes and 41-19 in the second half overall. Park scored on Nazareth's first possession, then Gabel scored eight of his points during the scoring surge. Two more baskets by Blankenberg swelled the lead to 56-22 with 14:06 to go.
Nazareth shot the ball well overall, hitting 31 of 57 shots (54.4%) and 8 for 18 (44.4%) from three-point range. Zach Stenglein's stat line also included seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Nazareth's defense also was sharp in forcing 16 Utica turnover, while holding the Pioneers to 32.1 percent shooting (17-for-53), including 1-for-15 from three-point range.
The Golden Flyers play again Tuesday at Keuka at 7:30 p.m.