Box Score

The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team rallied from a three-point deficit at the half and defeated host Alfred University 67-61 on Tuesday night in an Empire 8 Conference matchup.

With the win, Fisher snaps a three-game losing streak and improves its record to 10-8 overall and 5-4 in the Empire 8. 
It was a back-and-forth first half that featured six lead changes and five ties.  Alfred went on a 7-2 spurt late in the first half to take a 35-32 lead at intermission. 

Fisher got things going in the second half, opening up the final period with a 6-0 run and never trailed again.  The Cardinals led 52-50 with 9:59 left in the game, but used a 12-2 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers from Thad Wier, to take a double-digit lead at 64-54 with four minutes left.  Wier finished with 15 points, including 12 in the second half.

Freshman Tyler Hart led Fisher on the night, scoring 12 of his career-high 18 points in the second half.  He shot 5-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-6 free beyond the arc and connected on five of his free throws.

Reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Week Chaz Lott filled the stat sheet yet again, totaling 11 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals.  Senior center Jason Norsen finished with 11 boards, eight points and four blocked shots.

Fisher tightened it up on the defensive end in the second half.  The Saxon shot 44.4% in the first half, but were just 7-for-28 (25.0%) over the final 20 minutes.

“It was a good win tonight, but we need to play much better than that,” said head coach Rob Kornaker during the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Postgame Show on Rochester's ESPN-950.  “We got a big game on Friday against Utica and they are like us, fighting to stay alive in the Empire 8 Conference, so we've got to come ready to play.”

Fisher hosts Utica College at 8 p.m. on Friday night.  The first 500 hundred fans in attendance will receive free Cardinal pom-poms.  On Saturday, Fisher hosts Houghton College at 4 p.m.