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ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Visiting Cortland built an eight-point halftime lead and then outscored Nazareth 44-33 in the second half Saturday as the Red Dragons defeated the Golden Flyers in a non-conference men's basketball game, 78-59, at the Kidera Gymnasium.

Four different players scored in double figures for the Red Dragons, who improved to 7-1 overall. Nazareth dropped to 7-3. The Golden Flyers are off until Jan. 4 when they open Empire 8 Conference play with a home game against Hartwick at 6 p.m.

Saturday's game was close most of the way until Cortland used a 12-point scoring run to open a double-digit advantage at the 10-minute mark of the second half. In the first half, Nazareth junior Jack Giles knocked down a three-point shot with 8:42 left to give Nazareth a 17-15 lead. Cortland's Brian Manning answered with a three-pointer and a layup on the next two Cortland possessions to make it 20-17 Cortland.

Giles hit another three-pointer for Nazareth to tie the score at 20-20, but Manning connected again to make it 23-20 and the Red Dragons never trailed thereafter. They ended the half with an 11-6 scoring run to expand the lead to 34-26 at halftime.

Nazareth stayed close early in the second half as a basket by Scott Hayford closed the deficit to three, 47-44, with 13:24 to go. Cortland, however, then scored the next 12 points, including five points from Jesse Winter to extend the lead to 59-44 with 10 minutes left.

The lead continued to grow as Nazareth struggled offensively over the last 10 minutes. The lead reached 23 points, 76-53, after Lamard Herron's basket with 2:19 to go.

Cortland connected on 29 of 56 shots (51.8 percent) overall, including 16 of 28 (57.1 percent) in the second half. The Red Dragons went 10 for 21 from three-point range (47.6 percent). Nazareth, meanwhile, went just 22 for 57 from the field overall (38.6 percent) and 5 for 26 (19.2 percent) from three-point range (and just 1 for 11 in the second half).

Giles and freshman Maurice Mills each scored 11 points for Nazareth, while Brad Ford and Tyshun Stephens, who combined to average better than 36 points per game coming in, were held to nine and six points respectively. Manning and Kevin McMahon each scored 17 points for the Red Dragons. Harrison Hefele scored 13 and Jeremy Smith added 10.