The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team fell 72-43 to No. 1 Ithaca College in the semifinal of the Empire 8 Conference Championship on Friday night at the Bomber's Ben Light Gymnasium.

In the first half, Ithaca opened up with 5-0 run before the Cardinals settled in. Fisher got a three from Sarah Stefanon off a Portia Velasco pass to gain the 9-7 advantage. That lead took place with 14:44 remaining in the opening period, but the rest of the period was controlled by Ithaca, outscoring Fisher 25-9 to head into the locker rooms with a 32-16 lead.

Much of that run was due to the Cardinals foul trouble. Empire 8 All-Conference members Meghan Soja and Velasco each had three fouls with more than six minutes remaining in the half, relegating them to watch from the bench. Camaryn Buckner picked up her third foul with 6.9 seconds to play in the opening stanza.

The second half was much of the same, with the Bombers extending its lead to over twenty for most of the period.

In Soja's final game as a Cardinal she finished with nine points and nine rebounds, just missing the double-double, while Velasco led the Cardinals with 13 points.

Ithaca's Jennifer Escobido, the Conference's Player of the Year, led all scorers with 22 points and added nine rebounds.

Fisher finishes the 2011-12 campaign with an 11-15 overall mark.