Nazareth game notes | Westfield State game notes | UMass-Dartmouth game notes
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth's post-season men's basketball quest continues Friday as the Golden Flyers host Westfield State of Massachusetts in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The game is part of a four-team pod and will be played on Mike Daley Court at the Kidera Gymnasium at 6:05 p.m. Ermerson (18-7) and UMass-Dartmouth (24-4) will play in Friday's first game at 3:35 p.m.

At 23-4 overall, Nazareth is making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and third for head coach Kevin Broderick, now in his 13th season. The Golden Flyers have equaled a school record for wins in a season and the 2021-22 season also featured a school-record 17-game winning streak.

Nazareth automatically qualified for the 64-team field by winning the Empire 8 Conference championship with thrilling wins over St. John Fisher and Utica last weekend. Westfield State (22-4) is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time after winning the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Owls bring a 10-game winning streak into tournament play. Friday's winners will play again Saturday at 6:05 p.m. for a berth in the NCAA's Sweet 16. 

Emerson and UMass-Dartmouth each made the 64-team field as at-large selections. Emerson competes in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference and lost in the conference championship game to Worcester Polytechnic Institute. UMass-Dartmouth competes in the Little East Conference and lost in its conference championship game, 71-69 in overtime, to Keene State.

All three weekend games can be viewed via web stream and will feature live stats at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nazareth/

Friday marks just the second time that Nazareth will serve as host for an NCAA Tournament game for men's basketball. The other time was in 1984, when the Golden Flyers hosted Clark University in a national quarterfinal game and lost 90-84. Featuring Jeff Van Gundy as its point guard, Nazareth won the NCAA East Regional title that season before hosting the quarterfinals. That team ultimately was inducted into the Nazareth Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Players to watch for Nazareth include grad student Stephen Gabel, who was named E8 tournament MVP after scoring 25 against Fisher and 19 against Utica. A three-time first-team E8 all-star, Gabel leads the team in scoring (17.8 ppg.) and is second in rebounding (6.8 rpg.). He is a scoring threat from inside and outside. He leads the team with 157 field goals and is second with 44 three-pointers. His career stat line includes 1,453 points, good for ninth place on Nazareth's all-time list.

Among the others to watch are seniors Zach Stenglein and Jonathan Park and grad student Kevin Underwood. Stenglein is a 6-foot-1 point guard, who ranks second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg.) and first in assists (93), steals (51) and three-point baskets (47). A second-team E8 all-star, Stenglein recently became the 28th player in team history to surpass 1,000 career points. He's at 1,049 entering this weekend's action.

Park is a 6-foot-8 center who comes up just shy of averaging a double-double at 11.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. A third-team all-conference selection, Park leads the team in rebounding, blocks (63) and field goal percentage (131-for-224, .585).

Underwood is a 6-foot-2 guard/forward who has excelled at slashing to the basket to score 910 career points. Also a third-team all-conference selection, Underwood comes off the bench to average 13.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He ranks second behind Park in field goal percentage (135-for-253, .534).

Broderick is in his 26th season as a college head coach and is in his 13th at his alma mater in Nazareth. He has a record of 217-112 (.660) at Nazareth, including a 131-62 mark (.679) against Empire 8 Conference competition. He reached a milestone in 2021 by winning his 400th game and now has a career record of 426-262 (.619) entering this weekend.