Box Score ROCHESTER, NY – Women's basketball defeated number five Russell Sage on Saturday afternoon 71-48 to advance to the semifinal round of the Empire 8 tournament. There were four Golden Flyers in double digits in the win.
In the first quarter, the game was very close, neither team holding a multi-possession lead until Nazareth went up 12-8 with one minute left in the quarter. The Gators went on a 5-0 run to end the first and went up 13-12 heading into the second. The first quarter was a slow start for the Golden Flyers, as Nazareth shot its lowest percentage in the first.
In the second quarter, Nazareth stepped it up, shooting 56.25% from the field and scoring 24 points in the second quarter alone. With just under two minutes left in the half, the Golden Flyers were up by nine, where the lead would hover for the rest of the half as Nazareth went up 36-27 heading into the locker room.
Scoring in the first half was
Molly Benetti,
Sarina McDowell, and
Madalyn Kelly each with 10.
Katie MacLachlan and
Kiara Anglin added four and two points respectively.
Nazareth came out of the half hot, going 8-13 from the field for a .6154 field-goal percentage and had another 20-point quarter. Nazareth brought the lead up to double digits with the first bucket of the quarter, and though Sage cut the lead down to six three times, Nazareth was able to continue to extend its lead, ending the half with a score of 56-42.
Nazareth's defense in the fourth quarter sealed the deal, only allowing the Gators to score six points while the Golden Flyers scored 15 points on 7-16 from the field. Nazareth hit its first 20-point lead with just under six minutes left of game time and finished out the game with a 23-point lead on a score of 71-48.
Kelly led the team in points with 18 while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists, and adding two steals. Benetti and MacLachlan had similar days, each with 14 points and eight rebounds. MacLachlan also added three assists and two blocks, while Benetti added two assists and three blocks. McDowell also had 14 points in addition to her five boards and two assists. Anglin had a well-rounded game with seven points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Leah Fusilli led the team in rebounds with 10, while also adding four points and four assists.
With the win, Nazareth will travel to #1 Brockport on Wednesday to compete in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 tournament.
