Box Score

The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team saw its first Empire 8 loss of the season in a thrilling 73-69 overtime battle at Utica College.  With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 5-7 overall while the Pioneers move to 6-6 and 1-0 in the Empire 8.

Trailing 61-57 with 1:27 to play, the Pioneers sent the game to overtime when Alyssa Filkins hit a jumper from the elbow with five seconds to play.  The shot tied the game at 61s and, though the Cardinals had a possession, the time frame was not long enough for the team to get off a closer than half court.

Portia Velasco scored 13 of her 20 points in the first half, including a three-pointer with one second remaining to give her team a 32-31 advantage heading into the locker room.  The game was back-and-forth through the first 20 minutes, with four ties and seven lead changes in the span. 

There were ten ties and 18 lead changes over the entire game, with the largest lead of the game at just six points, which the Pioneers held at the 2:56 mark of overtime.

The teams were nearly even in shooting percentages; however Fisher held a significant advantage at the free throw line. The home team shot just 44% from the charity stripe, but despite this, they were able hold off the Cardinals through a 54-37 advantage on the glass. 

Camaryn Buckner netted 17 points for the Cardinals to go along with a team leading four steals and two blocks.  Mary Kate Cusack added 11 points and two assists.

Fisher will have a short rest period, returning to action at 2 p.m. on Saturday when it travels to face Empire 8 opponent Ithaca College.