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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Senior Lindsey Kelly scored 16 of her game-high 24 points in the second half for host Nazareth Sunday as the Golden Flyers held off Buffalo State for a 66-51 women's basketball victory at the Kidera Gymnasium.

It was the Golden Flyers' second non-conference win of the weekend as they improved to 7-2 overall. Nazareth also defeated Oswego Saturday, 80-41. Nazareth opens its Empire 8 Conference schedule at Ithaca Tuesday at 8 p.m. Buffalo State dropped to 5-4 overall.

Senior Sam Sorge also had a strong game for Nazareth as she equaled a career-high with 23 points, including 19 in the first half. Senior Veronica Peck added 11 points and six assists.

Sorge made 7-of-10 first-half shots, including five three-pointers, as Nazareth surged to a 38-28 lead at the half. Sorge and Peck each made two three-pointers in the first quarter as Nazareth led 23-11. The lead swelled to 30-13 less than three minutes into the second quarter after Kelly scored inside and Sorge hit her third three-pointer of the half – both off assists from Peck.

Kelly heated up in the third quarter by scoring 13 of her points as Nazareth expanded its lead to 51-36 with 2:28 left in the period. The Bengals, however, scored the final seven points of the period to draw within 51-43 after 30 minutes.

Nazareth dominated the fourth quarter by outscoring the Bengals 15-8. Buffalo State closed to within 54-47 on a basket by Caleh McLean with 6:39 left, but Nazareth answered with a three-point play by Julia Brew to push the lead back to 10 points, 57-47, with less than six minutes to go. Sorge made four free throws down the stretch and Kelly sank two more and Peck hit a key three-pointer to enable Nazareth to preserve the lead.

Kelly finished with a game-high 12 rebounds and still leads the team in scoring (19.6 ppg.) and rebounding (9.6 rpg.) and is among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage (73-for-113, .646). Britt Perry pace Buffalo State with 12 points. Jordan Yastremski added 11 and McLean 10.

The Golden Flyers shot 23-for-57 (40.4 percent) for the game with nine three-pointers. They also sank 11 of 12 free throws (91.7 percent).