Box Score

The St. John Fisher College men's basketball used a 20-2 run in the first half to pace the Cardinals to a 85-40 win over visiting Alfred University on Tuesday at Fisher's Varsity Gym in the Empire 8 Conference season opener for both teams.   With the win, Fisher improves its overall record to 4-2.

The 45-point margin is the largest victory since the Cardinals defeated Keuka College 108-57 in November of 1999.
Alfred led 4-2 in the opening moments, but the Cardinals went on a 12-0 run to take a double-digit lead with 13:18 left on a 3-pointer from Justin Plata.

The Saxons trailed 16-10 with just over 11 minutes left in the half before Fisher began to pull away.    Three blocked shots in a five-second span by senior center Jason Norsen, followed by 3-pointers from Jackson Burke and Plata, highlighted a 20-2 run over an eight-minute span that put the Cardinals in control.

Fisher led 39-16 at the break and quickly pushed its lead to 30 points, as Norsen scored nine of his 17 points in the opening five minutes of the second stanza and the Cardinals never looked back. 

Thad Wier finished with 17 points, three assists and three steals.  The sophomore hit five of Fisher's 12 3-pointers on the evening.

Plata snagged a team-high eight rebounds and scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half, while junior-transfer Matt Cooney came off the bench and chipped in with eight points.

Fisher will return to action at 8 p.m. on Friday and will host Elmira College.