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ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Junior
Jason Corletta tallied 15 points for the Golden Flyers in the first half, but visiting St. John Fisher outscored Nazareth 50-36 in the second half to defeat the Golden Flyers 83-72 in a men's Empire 8 basketball game Tuesday evening. Corletta finished the game with a career-high 25 points despite temporarily leaving the game with an injury.
With the loss, Nazareth falls to 6-8 in Empire 8 games and 13-10 overall. With only two regular season games remaining, the Golden Flyers are also eliminated from the upcoming Empire 8 tournament. The Cardinals secured a spot in the E8 tournament with the victory. Fisher improves to 10-6 in conference games and 14-11 overall.
After trailing 13-8 just over seven minutes into the game, Nazareth embarked on an 11-0 scoring run to claim a 19-13 lead. The Golden Flyers' run was aided by offensive rebounds by freshman
Brad Ford and defensive stops on successive Cardinals' possessions. A hook shot by sophomore
Dan Waldbillig gave Nazareth a 15-13 lead less than two minutes later. The run also included a basket and free throw by Ford, a dunk by Corletta, and two free throws by senior
Dominique Kendrick.
A 9-3 scoring run by Fisher tied the game 22-22 with 6:53 to play in the half. In the closing minutes of the half, Ford corralled another rebound after diving to the ground. Ford's rebound led to a three-point basket by
Tyshun Stephens moments later. Corletta added a two-point floater on Nazareth's next possession to extend the Golden Flyers' lead to four points, 33-29. The teams traded baskets before Nazareth settled for a 36-33 lead at the half.
Corletta finished the first 20 minutes with 15 points on 5-7 shooting from the field. Ford had four rebounds in the first half, including three offensive boards. Jason Norsen, who came into the game averaging just over 10 points per game, led the Cardinals with 13 points in the first period as he shot 4-5 from the field. Norsen finished the game with 27 points to lead all players in scoring.
Fisher opened the second half with a 13-2 scoring run to claim an eight-point lead about four minutes into the period. The Golden Flyers trimmed their deficit to five points following a three-point basket by Ford, but the Cardinals' offensive attack and defensive pressure allowed Fisher to maintain its lead.
A three-point basket by Corletta pulled Nazareth to within five points, 59-54, with 7:44 remaining in regulation. Brent Harder, however, responded for the Cardinals with back-to-back buckets, separated by just 31 seconds, to rebuild Fisher's lead.
Jordan Gettings provided the Cardinals with their largest lead, 68-56, following a three-point basket, but the Golden Flyers continued to battle. Ford answered with his second three-pointer of the game to cut Nazareth's deficit to single digits with four minutes to play. A layup by Stephens cut the Cardinals' lead to 70-63, then two free throws by Waldbillig trimmed Fisher's lead to 72-67 with 1:28 remaining. Following Waldbillig's free throws, the Cardinals secured their victory by converting 9-12 free throws in the final 1:24.
Stephens and Ford each finished with 11 points, followed by Waldbillig, who tallied 10 points. Ford and Waldbillig each recorded six rebounds to lead Nazareth.
In addition to his 27 points, Norsen also used his size to block five shots and collect eight rebounds. Brent Harder, Brandon Witte, and Gettings combined for 39 points for the Cardinals.
The Golden Flyers travel to Alfred Friday evening before closing the regular season at home against Utica on Saturday afternoon.
