The Pioneers trailed very early in the game, but would bounce back shortly, taking a 11-6 lead just over five minutes into the game after a pair of three pointers from Doug Herring (Poughkeepsie/Poughkeepsie) and an and-one lay-up and foul shot from Jack Lighthall (Adirondack/Boonville).
The Pioneers’ largest lead of the half came with twelve minutes left when Chris Bitetto (Island Trees/Levittown) hit a jumper from the top of the key. They would go into halftime with a 29-21 lead.
In the second half, the Pioneers had control of the game from the start. Lighthall started the half by hitting jumpers on three straight possessions, and gave the Pioneers a 35-25 lead with 18:20 left in the game. They maintained a steady lead for the rest of the game, and always led by at least seven points.
Lighthall would finish the game with 22 points and six rebounds. Ray Bryant (Manhattan Center/Utica) added in 11 points and 12 rebounds of his own. Doug Herring anchored the Pioneer offense by dishing out 10 assists on the night.
Tyler Smith (Fairport/Fairport) tallied 19 points and six rebounds for Nazareth while junior classmate Joe Canori (Webster Thomas/Webster) had 10 points. With the loss, Nazareth falls to 8-14 overall and 3-8 in the Empire 8.
With the win, the Pioneers improve their record to 18-3 overall and 10-1 in the Empire 8. The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, February 10th at 4:00 when they host Empire 8 rival R.I.T.
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Newspaper Box Score Nazareth vs Utica College 02/09/07 8 p.m. at Utica, NY (Clark Athletic Center) At Utica, NY (Clark Athletic Center) UTICA COLLEGE 65, NAZARETH 45 NAZARETH (8-14, 3-8 E8) Tyler Smith 9-13 1-2 19; Joe Canori 4-13 0-0 10; Corey McAdam 2-6 2-2 6; Rayvon Higdon 1-7 2-2 4; Brian Steves 1-4 0-0 2; Nick Bozzelli 1-4 0-0 2; Jeff DeHimer 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 19-52 5-6 45. UTICA COLLEGE (18-3,10-1 E8) Jack Lighthall 10-14 2-5 22; Ray Bryant 5-12 1-1 11; Doug Herring 3-8 0-1 8; Robert Whyte 3-6 0-0 6; James McClendon 2-3 1-3 5; Dennis Munch 2-5 0-0 5; Brian Collier 0-6 4-4 4; Chris Bitetto 2-3 0-0 4; Edgar Acevedo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-58 8-14 65. Nazareth...................... 21 24 - 45 Utica College................. 29 36 - 65 3-point goals-Nazareth 2-7 (Joe Canori 2-5; Rayvon Higdon 0-1; Brian Steves 0-1), Utica College 3-15 (Doug Herring 2-5; Dennis Munch 1-3; Brian Collier 0-4; Ray Bryant 0-3). Fouled out--Nazareth-None, Utica College-None. Rebounds-Nazareth 32 (Corey McAdam 6; Tyler Smith 6), Utica College 37 (Ray Bryant 12). Assists-Nazareth 14 (Corey McAdam 6), Utica College 23 (Doug Herring 10). Total fouls-Nazareth 11, Utica College 12. A-450