Box l Updated stats
ALFRED, N.Y. -- Visiting Nazareth battled Alfred in a tightly contested Empire 8 men's basketball game on Friday evening. The Saxons' largest lead was seven points toward the end of the first half and at the end of the game. The Golden Flyers held a handful of four-point leads. Junior Mitch Ford finished with a game-high 24 points for Nazareth while classmate Maurice Mills recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Following the loss, the Golden Flyers drop to 7-12 overall and 3-7 in Empire 8 games. With the victory, the Saxons improve to 13-7 overall and 7-5 in conference contests.

Nazareth held one of its four-point leads, 42-38, with 11:01 remaining in regulation. After Alfred tied the game with back-to-back baskets, the Golden Flyers reclaimed a 47-44 edge on free throws by Ford. The Saxons answered with an11-2 scoring run over roughly four minutes to claim a six-point lead with five minutes to play in regulation. Ford and Mills combined to trim Nazareth's deficit back to three points three times in a span of 3:23, but the Golden Flyers were unable to rally for the win. The Saxons secured the victory with seven free throws in the final 45 seconds.

In the first half, Nazareth had an early 8-4 lead after sophomore Dan Morse and Ford each connected on a jumper and Mills converted a layup. The Golden Flyers closed their deficit from 22-15 to 28-27 at the break in the final four minutes of the period. Junior Nick Nadeau started the run with a three-pointer, then Ford had the final six points of the half for Nazareth after hitting a pair of free throws and making two layup attempts.

In addition to the points from Ford and Mills, Nadeau added 12 points while Morse finished with six points. Junior Steven Soltysik and sophomore Colin McGlynn chipped in three points and two points, respectively. The Golden Flyers made 44 percent (22-50) of their field goals, but were less than 18 percent (3-17) from outside the arc.

The Saxons connected on about 45 percent (26-58) of their shots. Eleven different players scored for Alfred's balanced attack. Julian Reinhart tallied 13 points and Tim Pacheco recorded 10 points to finish in double-figures. The Saxons also had an overwhelming 41-30 advantage in rebounds, including 16 offensive boards to provide additional scoring chances.

Nazareth is in action again on Saturday when the Golden Flyers play at Elmira in another Empire 8 contest.