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UTICA, N.Y. -- Returning to the hardwood, Nazareth and Utica battled in men's basketball for the second time in four days Tuesday. The Golden Flyers got revenge from a Friday-night setback as they rallied from a three-point halftime deficit to take a 84-76 triumph at the Pioneers' Clark Gymnasium.

Tyler Stenglein scored a game-high 24 points and Jake Burgio combined 17 points with a game-high 13 rebounds as Nazareth outscored Utica 44-33 over the final 20 minutes to secure the Empire 8 Conference win. Nazareth improved to 13-6 overall and 8-2 in the E8. Utica, which defeated Nazareth 59-56 last Friday, is 10-9 overall and 5-5 in conference games. The Golden Flyers are home for a pair of E8 games this weekend. They host Hartwick Friday at 6 p.m. and Stevens Saturday at 2.

Stenglein scored 16 of his points, including a pair of three-point baskets, in the second half and Burgio had 10 to fuel the Golden Flyers' comeback. Stenglein first hit a three-pointer at the 18-minute mark to tie the score at 46-46 and later scored at 12:56 left to give the Golden Flyers their first lead of the second half at 56-55.

The teams exchanged baskets until Daniel Jacob nailed a three-pointer with 8:52 to play to give Nazareth the lead for good at 65-63. Stenglein's second three-pointer of the half came with 4:33 left and extended Nazareth's advantage to 75-66.

Utica then scored the next six points to claw back to within 75-72, before Jacob converted a conventional three-point play with under two minutes to play to push the lead back to 78-72. Jacob also came up big in the second half by scoring eight of his 11 points. 

The Pioneers tried to push the pace after that, but Nazareth converted at the free throw line as Brendan Wind (14 points, 4 assists, 0 turnovers) sank two and Stenglein knocked down four more to seal the hard-fought road win.

Nazareth finished 33 for 68 (48.5 percent) from the field with 8-for-18 from three-point range. The Golden Flyers had a 40-32 rebounding edge. Utica got 14 points apiece from Carl Taylor and Justin Strielkauskas and went 30-for-64 (46.9 percent) from the floor with seven three-pointers.