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DAYTONA BEACH, FLA – Junior Rachel Benedict scored seven of her team-leading 18 points early in the fourth quarter as the Nazareth College women's basketball team came back from a double-digit deficit to within a point but Ohio Wesleyan took advantage of strong free throw shooting in the closing minutes to escape with a 70-63 win Thursday afternoon at the Ocean Center Arena.

The game was the second of two contests for the Golden Flyers (4-4) at the Daytona Beach Shootout in Florida.

Ohio Wesleyan (7-2) took a slim 16-13 lead after the first quarter and the teams played an even 17-17 second quarter as the Battling Bishops took a 33-30 lead into the halftime intermission.

In the third quarter, Ohio Wesleyan exploded for 24 points and took a 13-point advantage heading into the final period.

The combination of Benedict and Miyah Sizer led the early 14-2 run for the Golden Flyers. A layup by junior Erica Bradley cut the lead to 59-58 with 4:35 left to play and Ohio Wesleyan called a quick time out.

The Battling Bishops scored the next seven points to regain control over the next three minutes. It was a jumper by Sizer that stopped the run to make the score 66-60 with less than a minute to play.

Ohio Wesleyan converted 4-of-6 free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.

Benedict led Nazareth with 18 points and 14 rebounds while freshman Jadyn Abrams added nine points and junior Kristen Simmons and Bradley added eight points each.

Nazareth returns to action after the Christmas break with a 6 p.m. game against Clarkson University in Kidera Gymnasium Dec. 29.