ITHACA, N.Y.—The eighth ranked men's basketball team (24-2) suffered its second loss of the season, falling 82-76 to Nazareth (13-13) in the first round of the Empire 8 playoffs. The Golden Flyers will take on Utica in Sunday's championship game, with the conference automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.

The Bombers used a 19-7 run in the second half to cut the Golden Flyers 15 point advantage down to within three points with 8:07 left to play. Nazareth responded with a 13-6 spurt to increase its lead to 10 points. Over the next two minutes, Ithaca put together an 8-2 run and cut the lead to within three points on a layup by senior center Jeff Bostic. Nazareth hit both free throws on its next possession and increased the lead to five. With 1:08 to play, the Bombers failed to convert on the ensuing possession and were forced to foul for the remainder of the game. Nazareth made 10-of-11 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Junior guard Corey McAdam posted a team-high 39 points to lead the Golden Flyers. He also distributed eight assists and knocked down 15-of-21 attempts from the free-throw line. Classmates Ryan McAdam and Jeff DeHimer each notched double-figures in scoring as well. Ryan McAdam poured in 22 points while DeHimer hit all eight field-goal attempts for 17.

Senior point guard Sean Burton paced the Bombers with a game-high 34 points. Burton connected on 12-of-23 shots from the floor and dished out four assists.

Seniors Sean Leahy and Brendan Rogers also tallied double-figures in scoring for the Bombers. Leahy netted 14 points while Rogers finished with 17 for the game. Rogers hit all nine free-throw attempts in the contest.

NCAA pairings will be announced Monday. The Bombers will learn if they will be among 20 Pool C teams to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.