The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team lost to the visiting Nazareth College Golden Flyers 70-61 in its last home contest at Manning & Napier Varsity Gymnasium.  The Cardinals will now enter the postseason with a record of 11-14 overall and 7-7 in the Empire 8 Conference.  Nazareth finishes its season at 12-13, 4-9.

The Cardinals attempted a rally late in the second half when Brooke Seavitt hit a three-pointer to make the game 62-56 with just under two minutes to go.  Nazareth was fouled on its ensuing possession, but the Golden Flyer shooter missed both shots to give Fisher possession with 1:30 remaining.  On that possession, Portia Velasco hit a long two-pointer to pull the Cardinals within four points, but the home team was unable to rally as Nazareth hit free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

The Golden Flyers had a strong first half, as they took a 32-24 lead into the locker room.  The visitors shot exceptionally well from behind the arc, making 6-of-10 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes.  Nazareth, playing in its final game of the season, held a lead of 16-points twice in the first half, with the score at 24-9 and 27-11.  The Cardinals, however, were able to chip away at the lead to be down by single digits at 32-24 at intermission.

Seavitt made the score 43-38 when she stole the ball and took it to the hoop herself at the 12:22 mark of the second half.  Possession played a large role in the outcome contest, as Nazareth caused 12 turnovers from Fisher in the first half, and a total of 19 in the game. 

Velasco led the Cardinals in scoring, putting in 17 points in the contest.  Camaryn Buckner contributed seven points, while also grabbing nine rebounds.  Senior Meghan Soja had 13 boards to go with her eight points.

The Cardinals will head to the Empire 8 Championship at 6 p.m. on Friday when they travel to Ithaca College to take on the host Bombers in the First Round of the tournament.  Fisher will enter as the No. 4 seed, while Ithaca is ranked No. 1.