The Golden Flyers will play for the tournament title Saturday at 3 p.m. against the winner of the other first-round game between Buffalo State and Marietta.
Nazareth trailed in the early going Friday before bolting to a commanding 51-30 halftime lead as Canori scored 14 of his points, including three three-point field goals. The lead continued to grow in the second half to the point where the Golden Flyers led by as many as 28 points with less than five minutes to play.
Nazareth dominated in very statistical phase, outrebounding the Panthers 42-20 overall while shooting better than 61 percent from the field (35-for-57). The Golden Flyers also made 9 of 15 three-point tries, including 5 of 9 for Canori, who made 8 of 15 shots overall.
Nelson was a force underneath the basket as he made 8 of 11 shots and pulled down six rebounds. He got help off the bench from senior Matt Groot (9 points) and freshman Jeff DeHimer (8 points, 5 rebounds). Sophomore Ryan McAdam also played well, connecting for 12 points on 5 for 7 shooting.
"This is a great way to start," said Nazareth Coach Mike Daley, starting his 20th season. "We need to have an even better effort on Saturday."