Women's Basketball | 1/30/2015 7:46:00 PM

Box Score Box | Updated Stats
ROCHESTER, NY - Nazareth stuns St. John Fisher College defeating them 59-55 after trailing most of the night.  The Golden Flyers were behind most of the game and by as much as 16 points late in the first half.  Nazareth took its first lead of the game at 2:48 and held on to defeat the Cardinals.  Nazareth improves to 10-6 overall, 5-2 in the Empire 8. St. John Fisher falls to 13-5, 6-3. The Golden Flyers' victory snaps the Cardinals' four-game winning streak.

Nazareth struggled to get started as the Cardinals built a commanding 16 point lead, 22-6 with 8:29 left in the first half.  The Golden Flyers were finally able to get into a rhythm and went on a 16-5 run to pull within five points with 1:44 remaining in the first.  The Cardinals scored four straight points to end the half with a 31-23 lead.

The Cardinals recorded eight blocks in the first half alone, 11 in the game. 

St. John Fisher came out strong again in the second half building its lead back up to 15 points, 38-23, with 17:31 remaining.  The Golden Flyers then went on a 10-2 run to pull back within five points, 38-33 with 15:24 remaining.  Lindsey Kelly started the run with back-to-back layups.  Melissa Reeves also scored three points during the run and Hannah Runyon had a three-pointer followed by a lay-up to help push Nazareth closer. 

With their scoring groove back, the Golden Flyers continued to nip at Fisher's heels and tied it up for the first time 50-50 at 4:25 off a Kelly lay-up and again at 52-52 at 3:42 after Kelly laid it in again.  Nazareth took its first lead of the game at 2:48 after a defensive rebound by Kelly and a layup by Sam Sorge to put Nazareth up 54-52.

The Cardinals took the lead again at 2:31, 55-54 off a three-point field goal by Mary Kate Cusack.  But Sorge and Kelly scored the next two field goals to give Nazareth a 58-55 lead with :30 left.  Lindsey Kelly scored a free throw with :08 left for the final, 59-55.  Fisher's Sydney Bloomstein did have a three-point attempt with :02 left but was not able to convert.

After shooting just 31% in the first half, Nazareth shot 60% from the field in the second half and 44% for the game.  The Cardinals were just 9-of-38 in the second half for a field goal percentage of 24%.

Lindsey Kelly had a career-high 19 rebounds and also finished with 20 points for the double-double.  Veronica Peck had 11 points and went 3-for-5 from behind the arc.  She also dished out five assists.  Sorge finished with 10 points, Julia Brew had eight, Hannah Runyon had a great game off the bench with five points, Reeves had three and Maria Allocco two to round out the scoring.