BOX SCORE

The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team defeated Elmira College 52-43 on Friday night in Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the Empire 8 Conference, while the Soaring Eagles drop to 0-6, 0-2.

Fisher used a 16-0 run over 9:58 to push the score to 42-25 early in the second half to gain control of the game and never look back. The Soaring Eagles cut the Cardinals' lead to one at 26-25 with 19:25 remaining in the game. Fisher then held Elmira scoreless over the next 10:40 – and without a field goal for 11:17 – during the span.

The Soaring Eagles used a 7-0 run late in the game to cut the Cardinals' lead to eight at 49-41, but Optimystik Kinard nailed a three to give Fisher another double digit lead with under three minutes to play.

In the first half, Jason Norsen was dominant with 10 points, four boards and four blocked shots, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Fisher's largest lead of the opening stanza was nine points, which it held over Elmira twice, at 20-11 and 26-17.

The Cardinals headed to the locker room with a 26-22 advantage after Elmira closed out the half with a 5-0 run over the last 1:13, including a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining in the period.

Norsen had his second double-double of the season in the victory, finishing with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 10 boards. The senior also finished with six blocked shots, adding to his 4.2 blocks per game average that currently leads the nation. Chaz Lott finished with a team-best four assists while also corralling eight rebounds.

Fisher returns to action at 2 p.m. on Sunday as it hosts Worcester State University at home.