The St. John Fisher College women’s basketball team defeated visiting SUNY Geneseo 68-64 on Saturday night.

 

In a game that featured 17 lead-changes and 11 ties, Fisher senior Mary Francis (Gulf Coast/Naples, FL) sparked the Cardinals when they needed it most.

 

Fisher led by nine points with five minutes to go, thanks to a career-high 19 points from junior Ashley Dean (Horseheads/Horseheads), but the Blue Knights (4-2) refused to go away, and took the lead at 60-59 with 1:53 left.

 

Francis, however scored the next four points for Fisher (5-3).  She gave the Cardinals the lead for good with two free throws with 1:15 left and four seconds later, scored a lay-up after stealing the ball in the Geneseo backcourt.

 

Geneseo had possession and trailed by two points with 10 seconds left, but Francis recorded her third steal of the game and scored on a lay-up with four seconds left for the game’s final points.

 

Freshman Jessica Ainslie (Honeoye/Honeoye) totaled 12 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Francis finished with 10 points.  Dean led Fisher in rebounding with six boards, while fellow junior Allison Boehm (Sacred Heart/Cheektowaga) dished out five assists, while adding five points and three steals.

 

Meagan Tubbs (Ticonderoga/Ticonderoga) and Mary Kate Comfort (Orchard Park/Orchard Park) each finished with six points.  Freshmen Kristen Taliento (Rush-Henrietta/Henrietta) and Kellie Leathem (Catholic/Troy) each scored four points.  Taliento also snagged five rebounds.

           

Fisher will return to action on January 5^th at Rochester Institute of Technology.