LaPlume, PA. – Nazareth men's basketball took the floor for an out-of-conference matchup against the Keystone College Giants on Tuesday, where they managed a 9-point victory. The Golden Flyers improve to 6-2 on the season, while Keystone falls to 2-9. 

How It Happened

• Nazareth came out strong to start the game, doubling up the Giants 16-8 in the first 5 minutes of play with 7/9 shooting from the field. Luke Insley found the mesh three times in that stretch, with Jaylen Savage tacking on three assists of his own.

• The Golden Flyers maintained their 8-point lead (23-15) until the half-way point of the first half, as the two squads went back-and-forth trading blows.

• The score tightened to just a 5-point lead (30-25) for Nazareth before they exploded with a 14-0 run late in the half, putting them up 44-25. The run was highlighted by a 5-point sequence from Nick Purdie, as he knocked down a triple before stealing the ball back and finishing with a layup. 

• Keystone found a few points before the first half came to a close, sending both teams to the locker room with Nazareth leading 53-38. Insley led the way offensively for the first 20 minutes, putting up 11 points and 4 assists. Merritt Holly cleaned up on the defensive glass, coming down with 6 rebounds to lead both teams.

• Holly found the hot hand offensively to start the second half, scoring 7 of Nazareth's 11 points in the first 5 minutes. 

• The two teams went scoreless for over 2 straight minutes after Holly's scoring spree, before Will Burnett and Jaylen Savage finally found the hoop again to raise the score to 70-54.

• Keystone brought the game back within reach with a late 8-0 run, before Insley and Savage took over for the Golden Flyers. They combined for 13 straight points to close out the game, sealing it at 83-74 for Nazareth. 

Game Notes

• Luke Insley led Nazareth in points (20) and assists (8) in the game, shooting an impressive 9/10 from fieldgoal. 

• Jaylen Savage followed closely behind with 19 points of his own, accompanied by 6 assists and a team-leading 35:09 of playing time.

• Merritt Holly dominated the glass on the defensive end, bringing in 8 defensive rebounds, more than any other player on either team had in total.

What's Next

The Golden Flyers will travel to York, Pennsylvania on Friday, December 19th to take on the York College of Pennsylvania.