Lewis Huge in Wild OT Contest vs. Nazareth

The Alfred State men's basketball team erased a 16-point 1st half deficit and battled Nazareth into overtime. In the extra frame the Golden Flyers were 10 for 10 from the foul line and held on for a wild 86-81 victory.

Nazareth went on a 13-0 run early in the 1st half to grab the early lead. They built the lead to as many as 16 with just under nine minutes left before the Pioneers cut the lead to six. The Flyers went into half with a 39-30 lead.

Naz led by 13, 48-35, with 14:19 left in the game before the Pioneers went on a 19-4 run to grab their first lead since the first minutes of the game. The blue & gold led 64-59 with 2:09 left but a pair of three-point plays cut the lead to one. With 23 seconds left Tyler Stenglein hit a jumper and completed the three-point play to give the Flyers a 70-68 lead. Juwan Toliver (Buffalo/McKinley) hit an acrobatic put back with 11 seconds left to tie it back up. Both teams had a chance to win the game in regulation but were unable to hit the game-winner.

In the extra frame Brendan Wind hit a pair of three's to give Nazareth a 78-72 lead. They were 10 for 10 from the foul line in OT to seal the victory.

Tahaij Lewis (Rochester/Greece Olympia) had a career night. He was 15 for 24 from the field and 12 for 17 from the foul line for a career high 42 points. He also grabbed 21 boards (10 offensive), had three steals, and two blocks. Lews had 17 in the 1st and 22 in the 2nd. Toliver finished with 14 points, 10 boards, and seven assists while Owen Spencer (Perry) finished with 10. 

Jake Burgio led five Flyers in double figures with 18. Chris Jones had 16 points and 15 boards, Tyler Stenglein had 16, Wind finished with 12, and Stephen Gabel had 11 off the bench.

The Pioneers shot 40.8% from the field (31 for 76), 15.4% from three (2 for 13), and 58.6% from the foul line (17 for 29) while the Flyers shot 42.4% (28 for 66) from the field, 30.4% from three (7 for 23), and 79.3% from the foul line (23 for 29). The Pioneers held a 52 to 42 advantage on the boards including a 25 to 13 mark on the offensive glass. 

The Pioneers are back in action on Wednesday when they host D'Youville at 7 p.m. Please note that Sunday's road contest at SUNY Delhi has been postponed.