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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Juniors Mitch Ford and Maurice Mills each recorded double-doubles to lead visiting Nazareth to a 95-93 victory over Elmira in a men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon. The tandem combined to amass 69 points and 28 rebounds. The Golden Flyers faced three-point deficits in each overtime session. Nazareth used a 6-0 scoring run midway through the third overtime to turn an 89-86 deficit into a 92-89 lead and maintained the lead in the final minute.

With the victory, the Golden Flyers improve to 8-12 overall and 4-7 in conference games. Following the loss, the Soaring Eagles drop to 7-13 overall and 4-7 in Empire 8 games. Saturday's game marked the third time Nazareth has had a triple overtime game. The Golden Flyers lost to Roanoke 89-87 in 1984 and defeated Wittenburg 119-106 in 1997.

In the first overtime period, Elmira held a 77-74 lead in the final minute. Junior Steven Soltysik connected on his lone three-point basket of the game with 27 seconds remaining to tie the score. Following Soltysik's basket, Nazareth's defense held the Soaring Eagles without a shot to force the second overtime. In the second overtime, Mills fouled out 52 seconds into it. The Golden Flyers trailed 84-81 with only 30 seconds remaining in the second ot session. Nazareth used a layup by sophomore Dan Morse with 22 seconds left to pull within one point, then took advantage of Elmira making only 1-2 free throws on its next possession. Ford's layup with nine seconds to play in the period tied the game for the 14th time. Like the first overtime period, the Golden Flyers' defense held the Soaring Eagles scoreless in the final seconds.

Ford led Nazareth's decisive scoring run in the third overtime period with three consecutive buckets. Ford converted a pair of layups sandwiched around a two-point jumper. Ford's scoring burst, spanning 1:35 of the session, gave Nazareth the 92-89 edge. The Soaring Eagles closed to within one point twice, but Ford and sophomore Jack Mulcahy combined for three free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the lead.

The Golden Flyers surged to an 11-0 lead in the game's first 3:32 following a layup from junior Nick Nadeau, two layups by Ford, a dunk by Mills, and a three-point play by Morse. The Soaring Eagles answered with a 25-14 scoring run to tie the score at 25 apiece with just over four minutes left in the half. The Golden Flyers stretched their lead to 32-27 before settling for a 32-30 edge at halftime.

Elmira rallied to take their first lead of the contest, 40-38, 4:37 into the second period. For the rest of the period, the teams stayed within two possessions of each other. Nazareth took a 67-62 lead with 1:50 to play in the second half. Elmira rallied with a pair of free throws with 1:24 to play and connected on a three-pointer to tie the game in the final seconds of the period. The Golden Flyers' attempt at the end of regulation was off the mark.

Ford led all players with 37 points, and Mills followed with 32 points. Ford has averaged over 30 points over Nazareth's last four games. Ford and Mills are each averaging nearly 20 points per game. Morse and Nadeau added nine points and eight points, respectively, and Soltysik finished with six points. The Golden Flyers connected on 51 percent (36-71) of their field goal attempts while Elmira made 45 percent (33-74). Thanks to the combined 28 boards from Ford and Mills, Nazareth recorded a 42-32 advantage in total rebounds.

The Golden Flyers are in action again on February 13th when Nazareth hosts Utica at 8 p.m.