Box Score
 
The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team took down Empire 8 and East Avenue rival Nazareth College by a 78-50  score Tuesday night.  With the road victory, the Cardinals improve to 15-8 overall and 8-3 in the Empire 8 Conference.  Nazareth falls to 14-9 on the season and 6-6 in the E8.  The victory also guarantees Fisher a spot in the Empire  8 Championship.
 
The 28-point win marked the Cardinals' largest margin of victory over Nazareth since the 1198-99 season when Fisher won 94-61.
 
The Cardinals put together a solid opening half, playing strong on both ends of the court.  The play resulted in Fisher holding a 43-27 lead at the end of the stanza, with Chaz Lott leading the way with nine points. 
 
After Jason Norsen tied the game at 5s, the Cardinals would never trail in the game. Optimystik Kinard scored six-straight points over a 58 second span to give the Cardinals a 12-point lead at 23-11 at the 11:43 mark of the half. Then, after Nazareth cut the Fisher lead to 30-20, the Cardinals went on a 13-2 run over a 5:05 span to gain a sizable advantage.
 
The Fisher control didn't end after that half, as the Cardinals broke out to a lead by as many as 33 points when they led 72-39 with just over five minutes to play. 
 
It was a balanced attack for the Cardinals who shot 51.9% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc in the victory.  Nazareth shot just 32.7% overall.  Fisher also finished with five players scoring in double digits.
 
Lott, who this week earned Empire 8 Rookie of the Week honors for the fifth time this season, led his team with 17 points.  He filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Kinard added 13 points and eight defensive boards. 
 
Norsen and Tyler Hart both finished with 12 points, while Thad Wier had 11.  Norsen completed the double-double with 10 rebounds and also swatted a game-high four shots.
 
The Cardinals will return to action at 6 p.m. on Friday night when they host Hartwick College.  The following day will mark Senior Night for Fisher as it hosts Stevens Institute at 2 p.m.