ROCHESTER, NY – Visiting Utica roared back from down by as many as 15 points in the second half to send the game to overtime and eventually hand 19th-ranked Nazareth its first conference loss of the season on Tuesday night, 85-81. Senior Jordan Haggard had a season-high 23 points on 8-for-10 from the field and was a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown.
The Golden Flyers are now 11-2 overall and 5-1 in league play, while the Pioneers move to 10-2 and remain unbeaten in the Empire 8 at 5-0.
Nazareth controlled much of the second half until the Pioneers mounted a late comeback. With the lead cut to 10, Haggard drilled his fifth 3-pointer at the 4-minute mark for a 72-59 advantage.
Utica went on to score the next 13 points to even the score at 72 apiece with :44 seconds remaining on the clock. Jack Broderick was able to eventually break the run with a tough layup on the next possession to give Nazareth a 74-72 lead. He finished with nine points and five boards.
The Golden Flyers had a defensive stand on the other end before and empty one-and-one attempt, allowing Utica to score a layup with under a second remaining to send the game to overtime.
In the overtime period, a layup from Utica with under a minute to play gave the visitors a three-point lead. The Pioneers went 4-for-4 down the stretch to seal the victory.
Haggard scored half of Nazareth's points (17) in the first 20 minutes, including hitting three consecutive triples to make it 16-9 five minutes in.
Nazareth continued to lead the contest, however, Utica inched to within 34-30 before Haggard scored the next nine points for the home team. It was a 41-31 advantage for the Golden Flyers at the half.
Jonathan Park poured in 14 points and eight rebounds, while Zach Stenglein notched 12 points and three assists.
Nazareth will have 10 days before its next contest, hosting Sage on Friday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.