BOX SCORE

The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team overcame an 18-point deficit in the final nine minutes of regulation, but ended up losing 87-82 in double-overtime to host Rochester Institute of Technology on Sunday afternoon.

It was an up-hill battle all day for the Cardinals, who led just 18 seconds the entire game.    Fisher (5-6) trailed 17-7 seven minutes into the game and was down by 14 before going on a 9-0 run over the final 2:24 of the first half and trailed 33-28 at the break.

The Tigers (2-3) took control in the second half, opening the period with a 15-3 run to push their lead to 17 at 48-31.  R.I.T. led by as many as 18 points at 54-36 with 9:19 left, but the Cardinals didn't give up.

Fisher cut the lead down to single digits after back-to-back layups from Camaryn Buckner, and pulled to within four at 56-52 on a 3-pointer from Mary Kate Cusack.

The Tigers pushed their lead back to seven at 59-52, but Fisher ended regulation with a 7-0 run over the final 2:24 and forced overtime on a layup from Sydney Bloomstein with eight seconds left.

Fisher took its only lead of the day on a free throw from Bloomstein to start overtime, but R.I.T. went on a 7-0 run to take a six-point lead. 

The Cardinals battled back yet again, as Cusack and Portia Velasco each hit 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds, while Velasco's layup with nine seconds remaining forced a second overtime.

In the second overtime, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run, only to have the Cardinals answer with a 7-0 run of their own.  The Tigers, however, responded with another 7-0 run and Fisher wasn't able to equal.  Bloomstein pulled Fisher to within four on a 3-pointer, but the Tigers, who were 32-of-40 on the day at the foul line, sealed the game at the charity stripe.

For Fisher, Bloomstein finished with a career-high 23 points.  The sophomore shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range and added five boards and four assists.

Velasco added 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Cusack chipped in with 16 points, 12 of which came on 3-pointers.  Buckner also finished in double-figures, tallying 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.