The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team downed the host Ithaca Bombers, 56-45, on Saturday afternoon. The win improves the Cardinals to 15-7 overall, 8-5 in conference play and extends their winning streak to four games.

 

The Cardinals entered the second stanza with a nine-point lead but hit a cold streak to start. After a 7-0 run by the Bombers over the opening 3:15 of the second half, Fisher found its first half ways.

 

To stop the Ithaca run, Stephanie Sweeney hit a  three-pointer that put the Cardinals back up five, 32-27. The game was never closer than a five-point margin the rest of the way. Fisher's defense proved to be the too much for Ithaca, holding the Bombers to 20-for-63 (31.7%) from the field and 2-for-11 from the three-point line (18.2%).

 

Fisher led by double-digits for most of the final 8:07, with the lead growing to as many as 14. Sweeney filled the stat sheet in the game, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Mary Kate Comfort paced the Cardinals with her fourth double-double of the year, tallying 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Junior Kristen Taliento finished with eight points and 7 rebounds for the Cardinals, while both Meagan Tubbs and Colleen Maloney added nine points.

 

In the first half, the Cardinals and Bombers stayed close for the first nine minutes of play, changing leads multiple times and knotting it up once. With 11:14 left in the first half, Ithaca took a 14-13 lead but it would prove to be its last lead of the game. The combination of Fisher's stifling defense and poor Ithaca free throw shooting over the next 7:44 led to a 10-0 run. The Cardinals would build on the 23-14 lead the rest of the half, taking a 29-20 lead into the intermission. Comfort led the team in the first period, shooting a nearly perfect 5-for-6 from the field. 

Fisher will return to action on Tuesday when they host the Alfred University Saxons at 6 p.m.