The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team opened up Empire 8 play on the road with a late contest Friday night at Ithaca and was defeated by the Bombers 71-65.  The game was close throughout all 40 minutes, but Ithaca was able to pull away in the waning minutes.

With a one-point lead with 4:19 remaining, Optimystik Kinard put the Cardinals up 63-60 and forced the Bombers to call a timeout.  From the break, Ithaca came out strong, and outscored the Cardinals 11-2 in the remaining minutes for the victory. 

Fisher held a slim two-point lead after the first stanza, with Adam Ambielli scoring nine of his 14 points in the timeframe.  Sophomore Jason Norsen added six points and two blocks before leaving the game a minute into the second half with an injury.

Ambielli had a career game, leading the Cardinals with 14 point off of the bench in a game that saw 10 lead changes and six ties.  Thad Wier and Justin Plata both added 10 points for Fisher, while Jordan Gettings had nine points and five assists.

Fisher will return to action at 4 p.m. on Saturday when they take on the Utica Pioneers.