NAZARETH HOLDS OFF ALFRED, 75-72
Golden Flyers win E8 opener, host Fisher Saturday
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Jan. 5, 2007) -- Junior center Tyler Smith scored the game-winning basket off a pass from freshman Corey McAdam (pictured) with 1.5 seconds left in the game Friday to lift Nazareth to a 75-72 men's basketball victory over Alfred at the Kidera Gymnasium.

The game was the Empire 8 Conference opener for both teams. The Golden Flyers improved to 5-4 overall. Alfred fell to 2-9.

Smith was also fouled on the play and made the resulting free throw to give Nazareth the three-point win. The victory came after the Golden Flyers squandered yet another large lead. Nazareth led by as many as 18 points in the first half before Alfred rallied to take a three-point lead, 67-64, on a basket by Dillon Stein with 3:16 to play.

Nazareth scored the next eight points -- three free throws by McAdam, a basket by Jeff DeHimer and a three-pointer by Rayvon Higdon -- to go back up by five, 72-67 with 2:06 left. Alfred rallied again behind junior guard Ryan Clemenson, who nailed a three-pointer with 1:49 left and then hit an fall-away, game-tying jumper in the lane as the shot clock was about the expire with :11 to play.

That set the stage for the Golden Flyers' last-second heroics as McAdam drove into the lane and delivered his ninth assist of the game to Smith, who finished with 21 points on 10 for 12 shooting.

McAdam finished with a career-high 29 points, hitting 10 of 14 shots from the field, 7 of 9 free throws, while making six steals and grabbing five rebounds. DeHimer and junior Joe Canori each scored 10 points.

Clemenson led Alfred with 26 points and Stein added 19 with eight rebounds.

Nazareth appeared to be on its way to an easy victory in building a 42-24 lead with less than two minutes to play in the half. McAdam had 17 points and six assists in the first 20 minutes. Alfred battled back as Clemenson and Stein combined for 29 second-half points, with Clemenson hitting three of his four three-pointers.

Nazareth made 56 percent of its field goal tries (32 for 57), but went just 8 for 15 from the free throw line.

The Golden Flyers play again Saturday against St. John Fisher at 4 p.m. (WHTK-AM 1280 / www.whtk.com and WYSL-AM 1040 / www.wysl1040.com).