TOP SEEDED NAZARETH BEATS SAGE IN EMPIRE 8 SEMIFINALS, 95-85 AS BORDERS ERUPTS FOR 34 POINTS
Pittsford, NY — The Golden Flyers of Nazareth College posted a 95-85 win over No. 4 seeded Sage on Friday night in the 2020 Empire Semifinals. With the win, Nazareth improves to 21-5 and will play on Saturday in the finals of the league's championship at 4 p.m. against the winner of the other semifinal contest between Utica College and St. John Fisher College. Sage's season comes to an end with a record of 15-11 after making their first appearance in the league's post-season tournament.
Sage's sophomore guard Jalon Borders (Bartow, FL/Bartow) scored a personal-best 34 points and added a team-best 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year. The 34 points by Borders ranks second all-time in single-game records, just two behind a 36 point showing by Robert Mills (36 vs SUNY-Old Westbury, 2/23/2017).
Nazareth opened the game on an 11-0 run before Sage would tie the action at the break, 46-46. Borders added 17 points in each half after shooting 60.0% (6-10) from the floor in the first half and making all five of his free throws. In the second half, Borders was 7-12 from the floor with a pair of free throws.
Sage tied the game at 56-56 with 15:45 left to play on a Borders' layup and took a one-point lead at 14:18 as senior guard/forward Anthony Mitchell (Bronx, NY/Salesian) added a layup. Sage took a 70-69 lead at 11:05 as sophomore Charles Davis (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou Hamer) had a layup.
Nazareth would go on a 12-2 run to own an 81-72 lead with 6:58 left to play as the Gators were unable to convert down the stretch. Nazareth had five players finish in double-digit scoring led by the play of Zach Stenglein with 24 points and Stephen Gabel with 23 points.
Davis finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for Sage.
On the 2019-2020 season, Borders led the Gators in scoring with a personal-best 424 points with a 16.3 ppg average. A first team Empire 8 performer, his 424 points in a season ranks third all-time for most points in a year, while his 16.3 ppg average is seventh best.
The contest marked the last appearance in a Gator uniform for Sage's seniors, Anthony Mitchell, Darius Denmark (Orlando, FL/Evans), Isaiah Scurry (Albany, NY/Albany), Christian Larson (Jacksonville, FL/Oakleaf), and Nick Taylor (Wells, NY/Wells Central).
Mitchell wraps his time as a Gator with 591 points which is 10th, while adding 378 rebounds which stands seventh. He Added 178 assists (No. 4), while also adding 46 blocked shots (9th), and 113 steals (No. 2), while playing in 84 games (No. 7).
Denmark appeared in 87 games which is seventh, while adding 516 points which stands 13th best at Sage. Denmark added 87 three pointers to finish third all-time in made pointers made, while also 171 assists (No. 5), with 53 steals (No. 18). Scurry, who missed this season with an injury has 476 career points (No. 17) in his time at Sage. Larson, who played at Sage for two seasons also made 57 career three-pointers (No. 13), while Taylor was a Sage newcomer this season.
