HENRIETTA, N.Y. – Rochester made only one field goal in the last six minutes and Nazareth College hung on for a 66-64 victory in the semifinals of the Wendy's Classic.
The Golden Flyers rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to move into the championship game for the second year in a row. Rochester will play Brockport for third place on Saturday at 3 pm. Brockport lost, on a layup at the buzzer, to Hobart College.
John DiBartolomeo scored 22 points for the Yellowjackets. Nate Novosel had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Rob Reid had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Tyshun Stephens led Nazareth with 17 points. Brad Ford scored 15 points and hauled down nine rebounds. Jason Corletta scored 14 points. Greg Lothridge scored six points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked four shots.
After shooting 48.5% from the field in the first half and taking a 38-29 lead, Rochester made only eight of 30 from the floor (26.7%), one of six outside the arc. The Yellowjackets made nine of 15 from the line in the second half, 12 of 18 for the game.
Nazareth shot 40% from the floor in the first half, 51.6% (16 of 31) in the second half. Nazareth sank three three-point field goals in each period. The Golden Flyers made four of eight free throw attempts.
The Golden Flyers ran off a 7-0 spurt to start the second half. Corletta scored in the lane twice and Nazareth edged ahead, 58-57, with 7:24 left. DiBartolomeo drove for a layup, then hit a jumper from the foul line to put Rochester ahead, 61-59.
Nazareth answered with eight straight points. Stephens made two layups, Lothridge scored in the lane, and Stephens made another layup. That put Naz up, 66-61.
Rochester missed the front end of a one and one, the missed two more free throws. Novosel made the back end of two with 1:28 left to put Rochester within 66-62.
Nazareth missed the front end of three one-and-ones in the last 41 seconds. After the second one, Novosel scored on a putback with 13.6 left for what turned out to be the final margin. When Nazareth missed its third free throw attempt with 12.3 on the clock, Rochetser rushed upcourt. DiBartolomeo missed to the left from the foul line. Nate Vernon grabbed the rebound, but his follow bounced off the rim just before the final buzzer.
In the first half, Rochester got good production from its front line. Novosel scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds, five off the offensive boards. Reid had six points and seven boards. Marcus Williams scored four. DiBartolomeo tied for scoring honors at the half with nine points.
With the score tied at 14-14, Rochester went on an 11-3 run over three and a half minutes to take a 25-17 lead. Reid hit a hook in the lane, Williams made a layup, Chris Dende sank a three-pointer from right wing, and DiBartolomeo finished it with four points – two free throws and a jumper in the lane.
Nazareth narrowed it to three, 25-22, on a layup by Corletta and a three-pointer out of the left corner by Phil Scaffidi.
Novosel scored on two putbacks and Tyler Siedman hit a jumper just inside the circle as Rochester extended the lead to 31-24. Jamell Johnson made two free throws for the Golden Flyers, then knocked down a trey from the left corner with 2:40 left, bringing Nazareth within 31-29.
Kevin Sheehy drove for a layup, Dende hit another trey from right of the key, and Reid made a tip-in to beat the halftime buzzer.