ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth used a 20-4 scoring run to close the first half and a 9-0 run to open the second half to pull away from visiting St. John Fisher in a men's Empire 8 basketball game on Tuesday evening. Sophomore Brad Ford amassed a career-high 26 points and seniors Jason Corletta and Phil Scaffidi combined for another 45 points to lead the Golden Flyers to the 85-67 victory.

With the victory, Nazareth improves to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in Empire 8 contests. Tuesday's win also pulls the Golden Flyers into a four-way tie for first place in the conference standings. Hartwick edged Stevens 68-66 on Tuesday to leave Nazareth, Hartwick, Stevens, and Ithaca with 5-2 conference records. The Cardinals fall to 9-9 overall and 2-5 in Empire 8 games after the loss. Fisher is currently in sixth place in the Empire 8. With Tuesday's victory, the Golden Flyers remain undefeated in games at the Kidera Gymnasium. Nazareth presently stands at 7-0 in home games during the 2011-12 season.

With the game tied at 25 apiece with about seven minutes remaining in the half, Nazareth finished the period on a 20-4 scoring run to pull away from Fisher. Ford and Scaffidi combined for the first 10 points of the run. Ford ignited the run with a three-point shot, followed by consecutive two-point jumpers by Scaffidi. After Scaffidi's baskets, Ford connected on another shot from beyond the arc to give the Golden Flyers a 35-25 lead. Corletta continued to build Nazareth's lead with a jumper, followed by a basket by Scaffidi, and Ford's third three-pointer of the game. Ford added a two-point jumper and Stephens closed the half with a free throw to give Nazareth a 45-29 lead at the break.
 
Fisher led 23-18 with 10:21 to play in the first half following four straight points by Fisher. Following a Nazareth timeout, Corletta converted a three-point play and Scaffidi added a jumper to tie the game, 23-23, which set up the Golden Flyers dominating final minutes of the half.
 
The Golden Flyers' scoring run continued into the second half as Corletta opened the half with five points on a three and two free throws. Scaffidi added another pair of jumpers to give Nazareth a 9-0 run in the first 1:46 of the period. The Golden Flyers' lead swelled to as many as 28 points, 71-43, following two free throws by freshman Jamell Johnson.

After heating up toward the end of regulation, the Cardinals actually finished the game shooting 51 percent (28-55) on their field goals. Nazareth shot 43 percent (27-63) from the field, but used three-point shots, free throws, rebounds, and turnovers to build and maintain its lead.

The Golden Flyers connected 43 percent (9-21) of their shots from beyond the arc as Ford finished 4-5 on his three-pointers and Corletta connected on 4-7 attempted threes. Ford finished with a game-high nine rebounds to help provide Nazareth with a 38-30 advantage on the glass. The Golden Flyers collected 16 offensive rebounds to keep scoring opportunities alive. From the charity stripe, Nazareth connected on 22-25 (88 percent) of its free throws. By comparison, Fisher was just 6-12 from the free throw line. The Golden Flyers also finished a plus-eight in the turnover battle, forcing the Cardinals into 16 turnovers. Sophomore Scott Hayford recorded a game-high four steals to stifle several Fisher possessions.

Following Ford's game-high 26 points, Corletta tallied 23 points and Scaffidi added 22 points. Junior Tyshun Stephens chipped in seven points, five assists, and five rebounds to set up many of the Golden Flyers' scoring chances.

Jason Norsen finished with a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds for Fisher. Jordan Gettings also finished in double-digits with 14 points and he recorded five assists, too.

Nazareth is in action on Friday and Saturday with a pair of conference games. The Golden Flyers travel to Alfred for a game Friday evening, then go to Elmira for a game on Saturday afternoon.