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UTICA, N.Y. -- Visiting Nazareth outscored Utica 22-6 over the final 6:18 of regulation to break a 76-76 tie and defeat the Pioneers 98-82 in an Empire 8 Conference basketball game on Friday evening. Senior Brad Ford amassed a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead all players in scoring and rebounds.

With the victory, the Golden Flyers improve to 18-7 overall and 10-4 in Empire 8 Conference games. Nazareth also clinched a spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament, February 28th-March 1st. The Golden Flyers are currently in a tie for first-place with Stevens at 10-4 in Empire 8 games. The Ducks improved to 10-4 after outscoring visiting Elmira 14-1 over the final 2:33 to rally past the Soaring Eagles 74-68. Hartwick (9-4) can also clinch a share of first place with a victory over Elmira on Saturday. Hartwick hosts the Soaring Eagles at 3 p.m. St. John Fisher is currently in fourth place (9-5), but Alfred (8-5) can surpass the Cardinals with a Saturday victory over host Ithaca. Complete tiebreaker scenarios can be found here.

Nazareth claimed a pair of 15-point leads in the opening minutes of the second half following a jumper by Brad Ford and a layup by classmate Jack Giles. Following a layup by Utica, sophomore Maurice Mills answered with a basket to reclaim the Golden Flyers' 15-point lead.

Although Utica used a 38-23 run over a span of 7:22 to tie the score at 76 points apiece with 7:20 remaining in regulation, Nazareth refused to allow the Pioneers to take the lead. To thwart Utica's rally, Brad Ford converted a pair of free throws then scored on a layup to reclaim a two-possession lead, 80-76. Giles, Ford, and freshman Tomer Nesher each recorded a layup to return the Golden Flyers to their double-digit lead, 89-76, with 3:20 to play in regulation. To secure the victory, Nazareth players combined for seven free throws in the final two minutes while the Golden Flyers' defense held Utica to only two points during the final minutes of the game.

In the first half, Nazareth used an 18-5 scoring run to change a 12-10 deficit into a 28-17 lead. The Golden Flyers' run lasted 6:43. Brad Ford started the run with a pair of free throws, which was followed by a three-pointer by senior Scott Hayford. Hayford scored Nazareth's next points with another three, followed by a second pair of free throws by Ford. Ford, Mills, and Nesher then combined for a 7-0 run following a three-pointer and a pair of layups, respectively. Nesher added a free throw to extend the Golden Flyers' lead to 11 points with 8:11 to play in the period.

Both teams shot the ball very well throughout the contest. Nazareth was 18-30 (60 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes and 17-30 (57 percent) on their field goals in the second half. Meanwhile, Utica was 14-28 (50 percent) in the first half and 19-31 (61 percent) from the field in the second stanza.

In addition to Brad Ford's 29 points, Nazareth had four additional players finish in double figures to overwhelm Utica's defense. Giles recorded 20 points, followed by a season-high 14 points by Nesher. Mills added 13 points while Hayford had 10 points. Sophomore Mitch Ford and freshman Steven Soltysik each chipped in another six points for the Golden Flyers' attack.

Brad Ford's 10 rebounds helped Nazareth finish with a 35-27 advantage on the glass. Ford is within 21 rebounds of tying the Golden Flyers' all-time rebounding record, which is held by Chris Pegan. Pegan had 946 total boards from 1994-1998. Ford has 925 thus far in his career.

Aaron Nevins finished with a team-high 22 points to lead the Pioneers. Agim Hamiti (16 points) and Chris Jeffers (11 points) also finished in double-digits in scoring. Jeffers tallied a team-high seven rebounds.

The Golden Flyers are awaiting the outcome of Saturday afternoon's games between Ithaca vs. Alfred and Elmira vs. Hartwick to see which seed they will be for the tournament.