PITTSFORD, NY --  Graduate student Olivia Dobrovosky scored 16 of her team-leading 19 points in the first half as the Nazareth University Women's Basketball team built an early lead and downed St. John Fisher 73-65 in the final game of the regular season.

The win for Nazareth (22-3 overall, 14-2 Empire 8) forced a tie with St. John Fisher (21-4, 14-2 Empire 8) for the top spot in the final standings. With the first three tie-breaker rules the tie remained meaning a rarely used fourth tie-breaker criteria of Strength of Schedule (SoS) will be used to determine the top seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. On Sunday, the strength of schedule was released with St. John Fisher at .514 and Nazareth at .507, putting the Cardinals as the No. 1 seed and Nazareth as the No. 2 seed.

Both St. John Fisher and Nazareth will receive a bye in the first round of Empire 8 Tournament play that begins Tuesday. Houghton (12-4), Hartwick (9-7), Utica (7-9) and Elmira (6-10) complete the bracket.

On Saturday, Nazareth surrendered the first seven points of the game but recovered to take a 17-15 lead after the first period.

Dobrovosky scored a jumper and a 3-pointer to open the second quarter and help Nazareth build a seven-point lead. Additional 3-pointers by junior Madilann Johnson and freshman Madalyn Kelly kept Nazareth in control and the Golden Flyers led by five at 31-26 with 3:35 left in the opening half.

Baskets by sophomore Molly Benetti and Dobrovosky along with another 3-pointer by Kelly extended the Nazareth lead to 38-26 at the break.

St. John Fisher battled back with a 9-point advantage in the third quarter to trim the lead to three points at 51-48 heading into the final period.

A pair of Benetti baskets and a layup from McDowell gave Nazareth a six-point edge early in the final quarter. Sophomore Katie MacLachlan had a pair of baskets to build a nine-point lead and a key basket by Benetti with 1:49 to play gave Nazareth a double-digit lead at 67-56.

The Cardinals hit a couple 3-pointers in the closing minutes but Nazareth was 6-for-6 at the free throw line to preserve the victory.

Dobrovosky led Nazareth with 19 points and led five players into double digits as Kelly scored 13 and Johnson, MacLachlan, Benetti and McDowell each finished with 10 points.

023-24 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – St. John Fisher (14-2 E8, 21-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth (14-2 E8, 22-3 Overall)
No. 3 – Houghton (12-4, E8, 21-4 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick (9-7, E8, 12-13 Overall)
No. 5 – Utica (7-9 E8, 10-15 Overall)
No. 6 – Elmira (6-10 E8, 11-12 Overall)

The 2023-24 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
 
2023-24 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Schedule

Tuesday, February 20 – First Round (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 5 Utica at No. 4 Hartwick – 6 p.m.
No. 6 Elmira at No. 3 Houghton – 7 p.m.

Thursday, February 22 – Semifinals (All games at Higher Seed)
Winner of Houghton/Elmira vs. No. 2 Nazareth – 5:30 p.m.
Winner of Hartwick/Utica at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 24 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed) 
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - TBA