HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Host Stevens connected on all four of its free throws in the final 28 seconds of regulation to edge Nazareth 47-43 in a women's Empire 8 basketball game Friday evening. Seniors Katie Kollar and Brittany Patenaude finished with 13 points and 10 points, respectively, to lead Nazareth.

With Stevens clinging to a two-point lead, the Ducks' stole the Golden Flyers' inbound pass on the baseline and forced Nazareth to foul. The ensuing free throws, with eight seconds remaining, provided Stevens with a two-possession lead and secured the Ducks' victory.

The Golden Flyers drop to 9-6 overall and 2-3 in Empire 8 contests after suffering the loss. Stevens improves to 7-8 overall and 4-1 in conference contests with the victory.

Freshman Maria Allocco provided Nazareth with a four-point lead, 43-39, with 5:05 remaining in the game. Allocco collected the offensive rebound and made a layup to stretch the Golden Flyers' lead. The Ducks', however, would shut out Nazareth's offense the remainder of the game. The Golden Flyers recorded five turnovers in the final 4:27, which stalled Nazareth's offense. Kollar was whistled for a pivotal offensive foul with 2:25 to play.

The Golden Flyers' defense, meanwhile, allowed only two field goals in the final five minutes to keep Nazareth in the contest. The Golden Flyers forced Stevens into four turnovers before the Ducks secured the game with their free throws. Despite the clutch free throw shooting by Stevens in the final 28 seconds, the Ducks finished just 9-14 (64 percent) from the charity stripe for the game. Nazareth also struggled on free throws, finishing 4-7 (57 percent) for the game.

The Golden Flyers rallied from a seven-point first half deficit with an 11-3 scoring run to close the first half. Kollar's layup with 14 seconds remaining in the period capped Nazareth's run and gave the Golden Flyers a 24-23 edge at halftime. Senior Brittany Wilson started the run with a two-point jumper, followed by a fast-break layup by Kollar. Following a basket by Stevens, Kollar answered with a three-point shot and Allocco tied the game with a layup before Kollar's final layup provided Nazareth with the one-point lead.

Consecutive baskets by Stevens gave the Ducks a 33-29 lead 4:27 into the second half. The Golden Flyers put together a 7-0 scoring run to reclaim the lead. Nazareth held Stevens scoreless for almost four minutes during the run. The Golden Flyers maintained their slim lead for most of the remaining time in regulation. Jillian Barrett made a layup to tie the game, 43-43, for Stevens with just over a minute to play. Neither team allowed a field goal in the remaining time, but the Ducks' final four free throws were enough to edge the Golden Flyers.

In addition to the offensive output by Kollar and Patenaude, Wilson finished with seven points and Allocco tallied six points. Nazareth recorded a 39-33 advantage on the glass. Kollar and Allocco collected seven rebounds apiece to lead the Golden Flyers. Over the course of the game, Nazareth's defense held Stevens to 17-53 (32 percent) from the field, including 4-15 (27 percent) from beyond the arc.

Barrett finished with a game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Stevens. Victoria Webber added 12 points and six boards.

Nazareth resumes its road trip on Saturday afternoon with a conference game at Hartwick. The Golden Flyers return to the Kidera Gymnasium to host St. John Fisher on January 24th.