ROCHESTER, NY – Graduate student Zach Stenglein led four players into double-digit scoring as the Nazareth Men's Basketball team opened the 2022-23 season with a strong second half and a 90-72 victory over Gordon College in the opening round of the Mike Daley Memorial Tournament Friday night in Kidera Gymnasium.
Nazareth (1-0) will face Cortland (2-0) in the 3 p.m. championship game after the Red Dragons defeated Union 87-69. Union (0-1) and Gordon (0-2) will meet in the 1 p.m. consolation game.
Nazareth shot nearly 40% in the first half and then hit 70% (21-for-30) of its shots in the second half to run away with the win.
Gordon had a 20-19 lead midway through the first half before Stenglein sparked a run with one of his three 3-point shots as the Golden Flyers scored nine straight points for the lead.
Late in the first half, graduate student Jonathan Park knocked down a 3-pointer to give Nazareth a 10-point lead as the Golden Flyers went into the break with a 35-27 edge.
Gordon cut the lead to a point with a solid run in the opening minutes of the second period but Park hit a jumper and senior Jordan Haggard hit a 3-pointer to regain control.
The Fighting Scots hit a pair of 3-pointers over the next several minutes to take a 47-46 lead but a Haggard 3-pointer sparked another run as the Golden Flyers scored the next 13 straight points for a 59-47 lead.
During the run and after, Nazareth made nine straight shots to take and maintain a 10-point lead.
Nazareth ended the game with a streak of hitting eight of its final nine shots.
Stenglein led Nazareth with 19 points while Park added 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Senior
Logan Blankenberg and sophomore
Jack Broderick each scored 13 pointswhile
Jaylen Savage and sophomore
Luke Insley each scored nine for Nazareth.
