BOX SCORE

The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team improved to 14-8 overall on Thursday night with a 75-62 win over host Houghton College. Fisher was led all game by Chaz Lott and Justin Plata's offensive performances.
 
Plata led both teams with 21 points while Lott chipped in 17. Optimystik Kinard finished with 11 points while Jason Norsen added nine with eight rebounds.
 
The Cardinals withstood several runs by the Highlanders in the second half, including a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 42-36 with 14:04 left to play. Houghton closed the margin to the smallest point at 62-57 with 3:06 remaining, but Thad Wier hit a 3-pointer in the corner off a Matt Cooney pass to gain the momentum back for good.
 
Kinard closed out the first half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the Cardinals to the locker room with a 34-31 advantage. The trey gave Kinard eight points to tie for the team high at the break, along with Plata and Lott.
 
Lott was efficient for Fisher, going 4-for-5 from the field while collecting three steals and distributing three assists in the period. He lead a Cardinals defense that created 11 turnovers on the Highlanders while only losing two possessions of their own in the stanza.
 
Fisher will now have a week of rest before traveling down East Avenue to take the court at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night against rival Nazareth College.