KEUKA PARK, N.Y. — The Keuka College Men's Basketball team lost at home on Friday night to Nazareth University by the score of 71-63 in an Empire 8 Conference game.

Lamar Lovelace (Rochester, N.Y. / Northeast College Prep) led Keuka College (10-13, 7-7 Empire 8) with 27 points. Kaleb Nutifafa (Elmsford, N.Y. / Alexander Hamilton) recorded a double-double for the second-straight game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Akinlana Popoola (Cleveland, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) was also in double figures with 12 points.

Nazareth University 71 at Keuka College 63

Keuka battled through an early 8-0 run by Nazareth but steadily found its footing behind Lamar Lovelace and Kaleb Nutifafa. Lovelace ignited the Wolves with a basket at 14:42 to stop the early surge, then caught fire from deep with a pair of threes to erase a deficit and tie the game at 18-18. Nutifafa added a jumper at 7:52 to give Keuka its first lead of the night at 20-18. The Golden Flyers rebounded and closed the half on a run to take a 36-29 advantage into the break.

Keuka showed resilience coming out of halftime, refusing to let Nazareth extend the game out of reach. Lovelace opened the scoring on the opening possession. The Wolves weathered another Golden Flyers push and began to settle into their rhythm. A defensive stop and steal at 15:40 sparked life, and Akinlana Popoola's three-pointer at 15:30 cut the deficit to 46-36, shifting momentum back toward the Wolves. Kaleb Nutifafa continued to battle inside, controlling the glass and creating second-chance opportunities, while Brennan Hopkins (Victor, N.Y. / Victor) added an interior finish midway through the half to keep Keuka within striking distance. The Wolves continued to chip away and made Nazareth work deep into the shot clock in the closing minutes, but despite multiple runs and Lovelace's steady scoring presence, Keuka ultimately ran out of time as the Golden Flyers held on for the 71-63 final.

KC Notes:

• The Wolves have dropped to 6-29 all-time against the Golden Flyers
• Lamar Lovelace added five steals and seven rebounds to his game totals
• Ty LaBarge (Cobleskill, N.Y. / Cobleskill-Richmondville) gathered five rebounds for the Green and Gold to set a new personal high for rebounds in a season
• Lovelace broke the tie and now stands alone in fourth in the Keuka College record book with 475 points this season
• It was the second straight and third double-double of the season for Kaleb Nutifafa

Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves will close out the home portion of their second on Saturday as Keuka College hosts St. John Fisher University at 4 p.m. It will be Senior Day for the Wolves with a pregame ceremony during warmups to honor the Class of 2026 on this year's Men's Basketball team.

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