Men's Basketball | 12/5/2014 7:58:00 PM

Box Score Box
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sophomore Josh Gillard and junior Nick Nadeau each connected for career-high point totals Friday as Nazareth defeated RIT 71-66 in a consolation game of the Wendy's College Classic at the University of Rochester Palestra.

Seeded seventh going into the tournament, Nazareth evened its overall record to 2-2, while the sixth-seeded Tigers dropped to 5-2. The Golden Flyers will play again Saturday in the fifth-place game against Brockport, an overtime winner over Hobart in Fridays second consolation game. That game will be played at Geneseo at 3 p.m.

Gillard led all scorers with 18 points with four three-point baskets. Nadeau and junior Maurice Mills each added 16 points. Sophomore Denzell Jackson had a team-high seven rebounds.
Nazareth never trailed Friday and led by as many as 16 points in the first half before RIT rallied to within three points, 66-63, late in the game. Mills and Nadeau each sank a pair of free throws in the closing minute and Dan Morse also made one free throw to preserve Nazareth's win.

After a 10-2 first-half scoring run that included three-point shots by Gillard and Nadeau, Nazareth led 31-15 with 5:20 left in the half. Eventually Nazareth settled for a 37-31 lead at the break as Gillard scored 13 of his points, including three three-pointers.

A 21-12 scoring run to open the second half pushed the lead back to double digits at 58-43 following two free throws by Nadeau with 8:36 left. RIT then scored the next seven points -- a three-pointer by Joe Stortini (17 points) and four free throws by A.J. Horde (14 points) -- and eventually used a 20-8 scoring run to claw within three, 66-63, with 1:10 to go.

The Golden Flyers struggled a bit from the free throw line, hitting 27 of 43 attempts (62.8 percent), but Mills calmly sank a pair with :51 to go and Morse made one more with :27 to go, followed by two from Nadeau with :13 left.

Nazareth went 19 for 48 (39.6 percent) from the field and outrebounded the Tigers 42-34.