ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth kept it rolling in men's basketball Saturday as four players scored in double digits in the Golden Flyers' 93-72 victory over Russell Sage on Mike Daley Court at the Kidera Gymnasium.
The Golden Flyers extended their school-record winning streak to 16 straight as they improved to 18-1 overall and 10-0 in the Empire 8. With six regular-season games remaining, Nazareth also has clinched a berth in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament, scheduled for Feb. 25-26. Russell Sage dropped 10-9 overall and 4-6 in the E8.
Kevin Underwood led all scorers with 25 points.
Stephen Gabel and
Jonathan Park each posted double-doubles in points and rebounds. Gabel had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Park had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Zach Stenglein added 16 points, six assists and four steals.
Nazareth fell behind early, trailing by as many as nine points in the opening minutes. A three-pointer by Gabel with 10:22 left tied the score at 21-21, then
Brendan Broderick followed with another three-pointer to give Nazareth its first lead at 24-21.
With the score tied at 38-38 late in the half, Nazareth closed with a 6-2 run to take a 44-40 lead at the break and the Golden Flyers never trailed thereafter. Consecutive baskets by Gabel, Park and Underwood gave the Golden Flyers the edge.
The second half featured 14 points from Underwood, who triggered a 13-4 scoring run that ended with Nazareth on top 57-44 with less than 15 minutes left. Underwood had nine points during the decisive run as Nazareth was comfortably ahead the rest of the way. Another three-pointer by Broderick stretched the lead to 68-52 with 11:10 to play.
Russell Sage was able to close to within eight points, 79-71, with 4:48 left, but Nazareth pulled away again with Gabel and Stenglein each scoring five points and Underwood scoring the game's last two buckets.
Nazareth's final stat line included 33-for-65 shooting (50.8%), including 10-for-20 from three-point range. The Golden Flyers also sank 17-of-22 free throws (77.3%).
Nazareth is home again Saturday against Hartwick at 3 p.m.
