Courtesy: Nazareth Athletics
Logan Blankenberg registered a career-high 19 points Sunday for 25th-ranked Nazareth as the Golden Flyers held off visiting Hartwick in an Empire 8 men’s basketball battle, winning 80-66 on Mike Daley Court at the Kidera Gymnasium.
Nazareth was able to continue its record-breaking win streak as the Golden Flyers won for the 17th straight time to improve to 19-1 on the season, including a pristine 11-0 mark in conference play. Hartwick, in search of its first victory, dropped to 0-16 and 0-8.
Blankenberg’s 19 points included a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance from three-point range. He also grabbed five rebounds. Zach Stenglein added 18 points and six rebounds and Jonathan Park contributed his second double-double of the weekend with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Underwood came off the bench to score 13 points and Stephen Gabel had nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Against a feisty Hartwick team, the Golden Flyers found themselves trailing y as many as seven points in the first half and were down two, 38-36, at halftime after two free throws by Stenglein with :03 left in the half.
Nazareth was able to erase that deficit less than two minutes into the second half as Gabel scored and Blankenberg nailed back-to-back three-pointers for a 44-38 lead. That triggered a 20-4 scoring run that included another three-pointer by Blankenberg and two by Stenglein to expand the lead to double digits at 56-42.
Underwood scored all 13 of his points in the second half and Stenglein had 11 as the Golden Flyers maintained a comfortable advantage. Hartwick closed to within eight points, 73-65, with 3:00 left, but Stenglein scored five of his points in the closing seconds to keep Nazareth out of danger.
Nazareth shot 26-for-59 (.441) overall with 10 three-pointers (five in each half).
The Golden Flyers are home again Tuesday to host St. John Fisher in the annual Battle of the Beaks, starting at 8 p.m.
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