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PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Nazareth, seeded sixth for the annual Wendy's Classic, traveled to St. John Fisher to play third-seeded Geneseo in the opening round of the tournament on Tuesday evening. The Knights held off the Golden Flyers' rally 62-55. Nazareth rallied to tie the game at 50 points apiece before Geneseo finished the game on a 12-5 run. Junior Sam Sorge finished with a team-high 16 points, and classmate Veronica Peck scored nine points for Nazareth.

Following the loss, the Golden Flyers fall to 3-1 overall. WIth the victory, Geneseo improves to 3-1 overall. The Golden Flyers will play the loser of second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan and seventh-seeded RIT on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the University of Rochester. The Knights advance to play the winner of Roberts and RIT in the semifinals Thursday at RIT.

In the first half, Peck connected on a three-point basket to provide Nazareth with its largest lead of the stanza, 30-25, with just over four minutes to play in the period. Prior to Peck's shot from outside the arc, Sorge and classmate Lindsey Kelly each scored. Geneseo answered with a 10-0 scoring run to claim a five-point lead for the Knights. Junior Julia Brew scored the final points of the half on a jumper to cut the Golden Flyers' deficit to three points, 35-32, at halftime.

Trailing 44-38, Kelly picked up her fourth personal foul of the game with 13:04 to play in regulation when she was whistled for an illegal screen. Kelly had been subbing in and out of the game to play offense and avoid defensive fouls, but her fourth foul forced her to the bench. She entered the game as Nazareth's leading scorer with 16.3 points per game and leading rebounder with 9.3 boards per game.

Despite missing Kelly, the Golden Flyers closed to within 46-43 after senior Hannah Runyon connected on a layup and a three-pointer. Kara Houppert slowed the Golden Flyers' scoring run with a bucket inside the paint, however, a jumper by Brew and a three-pointer by junior Kelly Broderick tied the score at 50 points apiece.

Following Broderick's three, Geneseo reclaimed a five-point lead, 55-50, before Sorge connected on a three with 3:30 to play. On the ensuing possession, Nazareth nearly forced a shot clock violation, but the Knights' shot at the buzzer clanked off the rim, and Geneseo was able to collect the rebound. The Knights turned the extra possession into a three-point play after Shannon McGinnis converted the layup and free throw.

Geneseo maintained its lead in the final minutes despite missing several free throws. The Knights finished with connecting only 11 of 23 shots from the charity stripe over the course of the game. Turnovers and missed shots prevented Nazareth from cutting into its deficit.

In addition to the points from Sorge and Peck, Runyon finished with seven points. Broderick and Brew each had six points while Kelly scored five points as she battled foul trouble. Seniors Melissa Reeves and Maria Allocco had four points and two points, respectively.

McGinnis amassed a game-high 25 points, and Dana Cohan added 11 points for Geneseo. McGinnis also had a game-high 13 rebounds to lead the Knights to a 40-30 advantage in total boards. Sorge had a team-high seven rebounds for Nazareth.