Box l Updated Stats

ONEONTA, NY - Nazareth faced a 17-point deficit midway through the third quarter, but Samantha Peebles led the Golden Flyers on a stunning comeback, defeating the Hartwick Hawks, 74-66.  Peebles, coming off a season-low nine points from Friday night, rebounded with a career-high 32 points (9-for-16) to help the Golden Flyers split the weekend.
 
With the win, Nazareth improves to 7-8 on the season (3-3 in the Empire 8), while Hartwick drops to 3-12 and 2-4 in the conference.
 
Neither team could muster much on offense early, and Nazareth found itself in a 9-2 hole after six minutes of play. Back-to-back three pointers from Demetria Woodard and Peebles brought the game within one, but a Hartwick buzzer-beater gave the Hawks a 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
Hartwick carried the momentum from that shot, going on an 11-4 run and extending their lead to 22-16. Again, the Golden Flyers made consecutive buckets from downtown to tie the game and Peebles converted a three-point play with three minutes left in the quarter to take a 27-26 advantage. Nazareth gave up six points in the final two minutes, facing a 32-29 deficit at halftime.
 
The Hawks proceeded to blow the game wide open, thanks to an 18-4 run to begin the third quarter, including streaks of nine and seven unanswered points. The Golden Flyers' first points came with nearly four minutes elapsed in the quarter and the defense could not find a way to slow Hartwick down. Nazareth finally responded with a couple of three pointers, but could draw no closer than 11, down 55-44 after thirty minutes.
 
The Golden Flyers refused to surrender, slowly shrinking Hartwick's lead until Nazareth was down by only one, with 2:20 remaining. The teams traded shots, and with 35 seconds left, Nazareth got the ball down 66-64, with a chance to even the score.
 
Rachel Benedict tied the game on a free throw with 25 seconds remaining, which prompted an outburst from the Hartwick bench. This resulted in a technical foul, and Peebles drained one of the two ensuing free throws. Benedict converted her second attempt to give the Golden Flyers a 68-66 advantage.
 
A second Hartwick technical sent Peebles back to the line, and this time, she made both shots to give Nazareth a four point lead. Benedict iced the game with four free throws in the waning seconds, completing the comeback for the Golden Flyers.
 
Benedict completed a double-double, her sixth of the season, scoring 18 points and snagging 11 rebounds.
 
Nazareth will remain on the road for its next game, against Elmira, on January 23 at 8 pm.