ROCHESTER, NY – Senior Mitch Ford scored 21 of his 28 points (10-for-20) in the second half as Nazareth handed Hartwick College its first conference loss of the season, 82-73, Tuesday night at Kidera Gymnasium.  Ford also pulled down seven rebounds.

Nazareth is now 9-6 overall and 5-1 in the Empire 8, while Hartwick falls to 10-5 and 5-1, respectively.

Tyler Stenglein started 4-for-4 from the field, with a layup at the 13 minute mark giving Nazareth a 12-9 lead.

Maurice Mills provided Nazareth with a spark late in the half, pinning a block against the backboard, leading to a Nick Nadeau layup on the other end.  That layup was part of a 6-0 run that put Nazareth ahead 26-18 with under five minutes to play.

Brendan Wind drilled Nazareth's first 3-pointer of the game with 1:17 remaining and Ford added another with under :10 seconds to play.  The Golden Flyers led 36-30 at the break.

In the second half, Ford drained back-to-back jumpers to build up a 52-44 margin at the 12 minute mark. 

The visitors crept to within two points at 56-54 past the midway point, however, Nazareth used a 10-2 run over a five minute span to open up a 66-56 advantage.

Ford provided a huge second chance bucket for the Golden Flyers and was fouled on the play at 2:22.  Following the made free throw, Nazareth led 75-61.

On the ensuing possession, Ford converted two more free throws to make it 77-61, which would prove to be Nazareth's largest lead of the game.

Stenglein added eight points in the second half as well en route to 16 points (7-for-11), while dishing out six assists.

Wind dropped 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and added six assists.

Nick Nadeau finished with nine points and Mills notched eight.

Nazareth begins a three -game road trip on Friday at Stevens Institute for a 6 p.m. contest.