NAZARETH LOSES TO UR, 70-56
Golden Flyers (4-7) play in consolation game Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
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KEUKA PARK, N.Y. (Jan. 9, 2007) -- Top-seeded and unbeaten Rochester proved too much for eighth-seeded Nazareth in women's basketball Tuesday as the Golden Flyers lost to the Yellowjackets, 70-56, in the opening round of the 14th annual JPMorgan Chase Scholarship Tournament at Keuka College.

Nazareth trailed 34-28 at halftime, then went without a field goal over the first seven minutes of the second half as the Yellowjackets expanded their lead to 40-28.

Nazareth, 4-7 overall, plays again Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in a consolation game at Roberts Wesleyan. The Golden Flyers will play fourth-seeded RIT, which lost to Geneseo, 75-67. UR, 12-0 and ranked third nationally by d3hoops.com, will take on Geneseo in a Thursday evening semifinal at Roberts Wesleyan at 6:15 p.m.

“They are better than their record indicates,” Rochester head coach Jim Scheible said of Nazareth. “We thought they would play well and they did, particularly Whitney Smith and Sarah Homer (pictured).”

Smith scored 11 points with two assists and one steal in 30 minutes. She was one of three Golden Flyers in double figures. Homer tied for game-scoring honors with 14 points. She also grabbed six rebounds. Nazareth’s third double figure scorer was Stephanie Bowens with 10 points.

Danielle Muller led a balanced Rochester offense with 14 points. Alex Porter scored nine points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made three steals. Julie Marriott, Megan Krebbeks, and Emily Lyons each scored eight points. Lyons and Jessica Waddell blocked two shots apiece.

“We didn’t have enough good possessions at the start of the second half,” said Nazareth coach Diane Williams. “They beat us on the boards and we stopped doing the small things we did in the first half like closing down the baseline.”

It was tight throughout the first 20 minutes. UR pushed its lead to eight, 29-21 on Muller’s fast break layup with five minutes left in the half. Kelly Dunne and Jamie Malloy hit threes in the closing minutes to pull within 34-28 at halftime.

Layups by Marriott, Marlena Fisher, and Krebbeks pushed Rochester ahead 40-28 in the opening minutes. At the same time, Nazareth repeatedly turned the ball over or missed shots.

“Nazareth exposed us a bit in the first half,” Scheible said. “We wanted more intensity in the second half on defense. It’s our identity. It’s what we do.”