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ALFRED, N.Y. -- Visiting Nazareth closed the final 7:36 of the first half with a decisive 18-4 scoring run to claim a 35-23 lead at halftime. The Golden Flyers went on to defeat Alfred 70-55 in an Empire 8 women's basketball game on Wednesday evening. The game was originally scheduled to be played Tuesday but was postponed to Wedensday due to inclement weather. Senior Megan Morrison tallied eight points to lead all players in scoring during the opening half to help Nazareth build its lead. Morrison finished with 11 points, one shy of the career-high she reached in Nazareth's November victory over Bard.

With the victory, the Golden Flyers improve to 5-6 overall and even their conference record at 1-1. With the loss, the Saxons fall to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in Empire 8 contests. Nazareth's victory snapped Alfred's three-game winning streak. The Golden Flyers enter this weekend's conference games against Stevens and Hartwick with a two-game winning streak.

After allowing the Saxons to open a 10-4 lead 4:05 into the game, Nazareth answered with seven consecutive points to take its first lead of the game. The Golden Flyers' scoring run took only 1:22 as junior Hannah Runyon converted two free throw opportunities, sophomore Julia Brew connected on a three-point attempt, and sophomore Veronica Peck capped the run with a layup.

The teams remained within one possession of each other until Nazareth outscored Alfred by 14 points to close the opening half. Morrison led the run with eight of the Golden Flyers' first 13 points. Junior Melissa Reeves followed Morrison's initial run-igniting three-point bucket with a layup. Peck and Morrison then connected on respective three-point attempts, which was followed by a two-point jumper by Morrison. Senior Anna Wicks scored the next five Nazareth points with a layup and a shot from outside the three-point arc. Wicks' three-point basket provided the Golden Flyers with their first double-digit lead of the contest, 35-23, which Nazareth maintained throughout the second stanza. The Golden Flyers' tenacious defense held the Saxons to only one layup for nearly the final seven minutes of the half.

Nazareth connected on 5-10 (50 percent) of their three-point attempts and were 13-30 (43.3 percent) overall on their field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes while holding Alfred to 10-32 (31.3 percent) from the field, including 2-7 (28.6 percent) from beyond the three-point arc .

In the second half, the Golden Flyers stretched their lead to 16 points following a jumper and a pair of free throws by sophomore Lindsay Kelly. With 14:47 to play in regulation, Nazareth took a game-high 18-point lead, 46-28, following a three-pointer by Wicks and a free throw by Peck. The Golden Flyers held a lead of at least 13 points throughout the remainder of the contest before claiming the 70-55 victory.

Kelly recorded a game-high 15 points. Peck, fresh off her career-high 17-point game against Houghton on Saturday, tallied 14 points while Morrison was the third Nazareth player in double-digits with 11 points. Wicks finished with eight points while Brew and Runyon tallied seven points apiece. Kelly's 10 rebounds helped the Golden Flyers finish with a 40-33 advantage on the glass.

Kathryn Polletta and Rachael Stedman led the Saxons with 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Hailey Sick and Sarah Federico each collected six rebounds. Harley Cleary entered the game as Alfred's leading scorer with an average of 13.7 points per game. The Golden Flyers held Cleary to six points as she could only manage a pair of baskets and two free throws.

Nazareth looks to continue its winning streak when the Golden Flyers host a pair of conference games on Friday and Saturday. Nazareth plays Stevens at 8 p.m. Friday evening before taking on Hartwick at 4 p.m. on Saturday.