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PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Senior Corey McAdam scored six of his game-high 27 points in overtime Friday to lift third-seeded Nazareth to a 75-72 men's basketball victory over second-seeded Ithaca in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament at St. John Fisher's Manning & Napier Gymnasium.

Nazareth improved to 17-9 overall and will play top-seeded St. John Fisher (22-4) Saturday at 5 p.m. for the E8 title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

McAdam scored 21 of his points after halftime and freshman Dan Waldbillig on the go-ahead basket with :44 left to make the score 70-69. McAdam made two free throws with :26 left and Jason Corletta added another with :15 to play to extend the lead to four, 73-69.

Ithaca's Chris Cruz-Rivas made a three-pointer on the next possession to make the score 73-72, but McAdam sealed the win with two more free throws with :11 to go.

McAdam went 10 for 20 from the field and 7 for 7 from the free throw line. He also passed for five assists and had four steals. Corletta added 16 points, Tyshun Stephens had 12 and Waldbillig 10.

Both team shots poorly in the first half as Ithaca took a 24-22 lead. Ithaca went 9 for 39 from the field (23.1 percent), including 3 for 12 from three-point range. Nazareth went 10 for 32 (31.3 percent) with just one three-pointer in 12 attempts. Nazareth's lone three came just before the half by Stephens, who scored nine of his points in the first 20 minutes.

In the second half, Ithaca led by as many as eight points, 56-48, with as little as 7:18 left following a three-pointer by freshman Sean Rossi, who had 11 points and 11 assists, and a free throw by Phil Barera.

Nazareth battled back and finally took the lead with 3:00 left in regulation, 58-57, on a three-pointer by Phil Scaffidi. McAdam hit a short jumper to keep Nazareth in front, 63-61, with 1:16 left, but Ithaca forced overtime on two free throws by Jordan Marcus with :51 left.

In overtime, Nazareth trailed until the final minute when Waldbillig produced the go-ahead basket. On Ithaca's next possession, Cruz-Rivas was whistled for an offensive foul (with Corletta taking the charge) to enable the Golden Flyers to extend the lead.

After McAdam's last two free throws with :11 left, Ithaca's Jordan Marcus attempted a contested three-pointer that fell short as Jake Fladd grabbed the ensuing rebound.

Cruz-Rivas led Ithaca with 15 points. Tom Brown added 14 and Barera had 11 points and a gake-high 16 rebounds.

Nazareth will play in the conference championship game for the third year in a row. The Golden Flyers defeated Fisher for the title in 2008, then lost in overtime to RIT last year. Fisher defeated the Golden Flyers twice during the regular season and improved to 22-4 overall with a 71-61 win over fourth-seeded Stevens in Friday's first game.