ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Host Nazareth used a 33-8 second half run to upend Russell Sage College 73-65 this afternoon in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament Quarterfinals.
After shooting 60.6 percent in the second half of Tuesday's win at Hartwick, the Gators (16-10) continued their highly-efficient shooting early on Saturday. RSC, the six seed, started 12-of-20 from the field to hold a 38-30 lead at the break. A 21-6 run spanning 7:08 helped the visitors enjoy the halftime advantage. RSC, which shot 57.1 percent in the opening 20 minutes, began the second period on a 13-4 run to go up 17 with 12:12 remaining.
With its season very much on the brink and a third loss to RSC this season very possible, Nazareth, the three seed, responded to tie the game at 57 with 3:43 left. The Golden Flyers (17-9) tallied 10 of the next 12 points to advance to Wednesday's Semifinals.
Sophomore forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills), who began the week leading the E8 in blocks per-game and was ranked third in the Conference in rebounding, registered a double-double of 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal to pace RSC. He averaged 21.0 points on 86.4 percent shooting and 8.0 rebounds vs. Hartwick and Nazareth.
Junior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC) added 12 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard Trevor Green (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh/HVCC) contributed nine points, six assists, and six rebounds.
Senior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The co-captain finished the day ranked sixth among Gators with 473 rebounds. His 165 offensive rebounds is good for fifth all-time.
Glancing at the RSC record book, it is not difficult to find the name of senior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls), who became the fifth RSC player to surpass 1,000 career points in the January 17 home win vs. Saint John Fisher. The co-captain, the program's career leader with 157 made three-pointers, concluded the season with 1,149 career points, third-most by an RSC player. He totaled 140 career steals, 205 career assists, and 414 career made field goals, good for second, third, and third respectively among Gators.
"Naturally we are disappointed with today's outcome and this will take a while for us to get over," said Head Coach Brian Barnes. "When we do, we'll be proud of how far we've come in just two seasons. Our coaches are grateful for the hard work of our players, especially our seniors for getting our program back to postseason basketball. The standard has been re-established by our graduating class and it is up to everyone returning to maintain it. On behalf of our players and coaches, I'd like to thank our Gator families, Sage Nation, our administration, athletic trainers and all of our support staff for incredible support and hard work this season. We'll be back!"
Junior guard Jaylen Savage, who opened the playoffs leading the Conference in scoring at 20.4 points per-game, topped all participants with 29 points on 12-of-24 shooting, and eight rebounds to pace Naz.
Gator Bites: The 2024-2025 season marked the 16th for Barnes at the helm of the Gators...RSC, which boasted the top defense in the E8, made its fourth E8 Championship Tournament appearance…The Gators earned a spot in the playoffs for three-straight seasons: 2019-20 – 2021-22…RSC finished the regular season with seven of the final ten, including six of the last seven, games away from home…The Gators got off to a 12-3 record, their best start to a season since 2014-15…Nine returnees combine with seven newcomers on this year's edition…Girard and Williamson were voted co-captains of this year's squad…Girard, the program's career leader for made three pointers, became just the fifth Gator to surpass 1,000 career points in the home win vs. Saint John Fisher on January 17…He moved into third place on the program's career scoring list on February 8 at Utica…The co-captain, who entered the postseason with 1,142 career points, became just the third Gator to dish out 200 career assists in the victory at Saint John Fisher on February 15…Girard is guaranteed to finish his senior campaign ranked in the top-three in RSC records for career points, career assists, and career steals…Williamson was selected the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 5…He registered team-highs of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists in the home win vs. SUNY Cobleskill on January 3…Williamson concluded the season ranked sixth in RSC records with 473 rebounds...Sophomore forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills) is a presence in the post for the Gators...The forward began the week leading the Conference in blocks per-game and was ranked third in the E8 in rebounding…He made 60.3 percent of his field goals as a freshman and sophomore, currently the best-ever by an RSC player...He blocked 36 shots this season, sixth-most by a Gator in a year...Oduro-Dompreh currently sits ninth in program records with 53 career blocks...Junior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC) was announced as the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, February 2…He averaged 25.3 points on 50.8 percent shooting across three games...Harris tallied 32 points at Alfred on January 31, tied for fourth-most in a game by an RSC player.
