Box Score Box l Updated stats
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Nazareth defeated Alfred 87-80 in a men's Empire 8 basketball game on Tuesday evening. Senior Scott Hayford connected on a three-point basket from the left wing to stretch the Golden Flyers' lead to 83-78 with 57 seconds remaining in regulation. Seniors Brad Ford and Jack Giles each made a pair of free throws to secure the victory.

Following the win, Nazareth improves to 17-7 overall and 9-4 in conference games. With the loss, the Saxons drop to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in Empire 8 contests. With the victory, the Golden Flyers move into a first-place tie in the conference standings with Stevens and Hartwick. St. John Fisher stands a half-game out at 9-5, and Alfred is a game out at 8-5.

Alfred's Mike Hill tied the game at 35 points apiece 1:13 into the second half with a layup.  After forcing a Nazareth turnover, the Saxons took the lead after collecting two offensive rebounds on its possession.  Following the Saxons' basket, there were 10 lead changes and four ties as the teams traded scores throughout most of the period. 

The Saxons took a 56-52 lead following a three-pointer by ThomasTsatsis.  Nazareth used an eight-point run to change a two-point deficit into a six-point lead, 65-59 with 6:34 to play in regulation. A pair of dunks by Mills capped the run. After the Saxons tied the game at 75 points apiece following three three-point baskets in a span of only 1:12, Mills reclaimed Nazareth's lead with a pair of free throws with 2:54 remaining in regulation. The Golden Flyers maintained the lead throughout the final minutes.

In the first half, the Golden Flyers opened a 25-15 lead following a steal by Brad Ford which led to a fast-break, alley-oop dunk by sophomore Maurice Mills after a pass to the rim by Giles. Roughly three minutes later, senior Scott Hayford extended the Golden Flyers' advantage to a game-high 11 points following a driving layup to the basket.

Alfred finished the half with a 15-5 run over the final 4:35 to close to within one point, 34-33, at the break. Over the final minutes of the half, the Saxons forced the Golden Flyers into turnovers and rushed possessions to close their deficit. Alfred also used its 23-18 rebounding advantage.

Both teams had several three-point and free throw opportunities during the opening period, but each team struggled. Nazareth was 1-7 (14 percent) outside the arc and 11-20 (55 percent) on free throws, while the Saxons where 2-8 (25 percent) on their three-point attempts and 5-10 (50 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Golden Flyers' balanced attack featured five players in double-digits in scoring. Bard Ford and Mills each tallied 18 points, followed by 16 points from Hayford, 15 points from Giles, and 11 points from sophomore Mitch Ford.

Tyler Seelman amassed a game-high 24 points for the Saxons to lead all players. Dalton Walsh collected a game-high 10 rebounds to help Alfred to a 42-41 edge. Mills had a team-high nine boards for Nazareth.

Nazareth closes the regular season with a conference game at Utica on Friday at 6 p.m. Seedings for the Empire 8 Tournament, February 28th-March 1st, will be determined following this weekend's games. Stevens and Hartwick play Elmira on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and Alfred hosts Ithaca on Saturday.