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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Visiting Nazareth bolted to an early lead and never trailed in Saturday's 93-79 men's basketball victory over Ithaca in Empire 8 Conference action.
Five Nazareth players scored in double figures as the Golden Flyers won their second conference game of the week and improved to 8-5 overall and 2-2 in the E8. Ithaca is 5-8 and 1-3. The Golden Flyers also defeated Utica at home Thursday, 82-72, and host a pair of conference opponents Friday and Saturday. Nazareth plays Stevens Friday at 8 p.m. and Hartwick Saturday at 4.
Junior
Tyler Stenglein scored 24 points to lead the Golden Flyers, including seven in the first five minutes as Nazareth raced to a 13-2 lead. Freshman
Cody Green, who finished with career highs in points (20) and rebounds (8), also nailed a pair of three-pointers in that early stretch as the Golden Flyers sank a season-high 11 three-pointers in the game.
Sophomore
Brendan Wind added 17 points and equaled a career-high with 11 assists. Sophomore
Jake Burgio combined 15 points with a game-high nine rebounds and Sophomore
Daniel Jacob had 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
After the early flurry, Nazareth extended its first-half lead to 23-6 on the strength of another three-pointer by Green, who followed that up with a conventional three-point play. Ithaca gradually crept back into the game, but the Golden Flyers were able to maintain a 43-34 advantage at the halftime break. Nazareth made six three pointers in the first half -- three by Green and one each for Stenglein, Wind and
Brendan Broderick.
Nazareth maintained a comfortable lead in the second half, but Ithaca managed to close within five, 57-52, following a three-pointer by Matt Flood with 14:39 to play. Green and Jacob each hit three-pointers on Nazareth's ensuing possessions as the Golden Flyers stayed hot from the perimeter.
Senior
Denzell Jackson scored for Nazareth with 10:24 left to push the lead to 69-59 and the Golden Flyers maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Nazareth shot well from the field, ging 29-for-63 overall (46 percent) and 11-for-20 from three-point range (55 percent). The Golden Flyer salso sank 24 of 29 free throws (82 percent). Ithaca's Sebastian Alderete had 26 points to lead all scorers.