Utica, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team hosted Nazareth on Saturday for an Empire 8 Conference battle. The visiting Golden Flyers walked away with a 71-61 win over the Pioneers.
 
Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) was UC's top scorer, finishing with 15 points and six assists. Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) came up a little shy of a double-double as she tallied 13 points and eight rebounds. Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) and Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also reached double figures, each putting up 10 points in the loss.
 
The game was tight throughout the first quarter, as Naz held just a one-point advantage after the first period of play. The Golden Flyers then outscored Utica, 19-9, in the second to gain solid control of the lead.
 
Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancey Memorial) sparked a Pioneer run in the third quarter, which cut Nazareth's lead down to five points with 5:45 left until the fourth. UC gained some ground on the deficit early on in the final period, but could not mount a comeback down the stretch. Utica's 10-point loss pushes its record to 6-12 overall and 1-8 in E8 play.
 
Nazareth improves to 11-6 overall and 6-2 within the Empire 8. Rachel Benedict double-doubled on 24 points and a game-high 15 boards. Teammate Jadyn Abrams posted a game-high 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the floor.
 
The Pioneers are on the road Tuesday for a meeting with St. John Fisher. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.