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UTICA, N.Y. -- Visiting Nazareth held a 15-point lead midway through the second half before Utica finished the game with a furious 25-11 scoring run. The Golden Flyers edged the Pioneers 64-63 in the women's Empire 8 basketball game on Tuesday evening. Freshman Lindsey Kelly tallied Nazareth's final four points in a 42-second span to give the Golden Flyers a 64-57 lead with 47 seconds to play in regulation.

Following the victory, Nazareth improves to 6-12 overall and 3-5 in conference games. With the loss, Utica falls to 9-9 overall and 5-3 in Empire 8 games. The loss snapped the Pioneers' two-game winning streak. The Golden Flyers currently stand in sixth place in the Empire 8. The top four teams qualify for the Conference Tournament. St. John Fisher presently holds the fourth spot with a 5-4 conference record.

The Golden Flyers used a 21-12 scoring run in the final 8:24 to establish a 35-25 lead at halftime. Six different players recorded baskets during Nazareth's scoring run. Sophomore Melissa Reeves connected on a jumper to start the run, which was followed by a jumper by sophomore Michelle Melanson.

Freshman Gwen Dougherty stretched the Golden Flyers' lead with a three-point play, which was followed by a jumper by freshman Veronica Peck, and layups by Kelly and freshman Sam Sorge. Kelly added three layups around a three-point play by Sorge to give Nazareth a 35-22 advantage.

Nazareth settled for a 10-point lead at the break after Alyssa Filkins connected on a three-point attempt just before the buzzer sounded.

In the second half, the Golden Flyers never surrendered their lead, stretching the advantage to 15 points after an old-fashioned three-point play by Dougherty and a three-point basket by Shaw. Shaw's shot from beyond the arc provided Nazareth a 51-36 lead with 11:17 to play in regulation.

Taking advantage of 14 second-half points by Raquel Baudanza and turnovers by the Golden Flyers, the Pioneers outscored Nazareth 25-11 in the final 10 minutes. Kelly helped Nazareth maintain its lead with four straight points to extend the Golden Flyers' lead to seven points in the final minute. Utica forced Nazareth into turnovers on its final two possessions while the Pioneers' offense scored on each of their possessions to cut the Golden Flyers' lead to three points, 64-61, with about 15 seconds to play.

After passing the ball between players, Utica's Marissa Kahane drove to the basket to bring the Pioneers to within one point. The basket, however, was scored with only .6 seconds remaining. The Golden Flyers sealed the victory with a long pass by Shaw that was tracked down by sophomore Hannah Runyon.

Following the game, Coach Devin Gotham noted that Nazareth got timely baskets to hold off Utica's rally. Coach Gotham also mentioned that the Golden Flyers became content with their second-half lead and their offensive attack slowed. With their 19 team assists, Gotham was proud of the team's ball movement until the final minutes.

In addition to the points by Kelly, Shaw contributed 14 points and a game-high six assists to Nazareth's offense. Dougherty finished with a career-high nine points in 12 minutes of action as she hit all four of her field goal attempts. Shaw and Dougherty entered the game averaging 7.5 and 2.1 points, respectively.

The Golden Flyers used an overwhelming 43-26 advantage in total rebounds, including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds, to maintain their lead. Kelly collected a game-high eight rebounds, followed by Dougherty, who grabbed six boards.

Utica had a balanced scoring attack as four players finished in double-digits led by a team-high 15 points by Meghan Fiore. Fiore was held to four points in the second half. Baudanza's 14 points all came in the second period to lead the Pioneers' attempted rally. Mary Miceli and Bridget Greenwald each added 10 points.

Nazareth hosts Alfred, who is 0-5 in conference action, on Friday, January 25th in another critical conference game as the Golden Flyers work to climb in the Empire 8 standings.