Tyler English's layup with 2.8 seconds left proved to be the difference, as the St. John Fisher College men's basketball program held on for a 68-66 win over Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at Fisher's Bobby Wanzer Court in the regular-season finale for both teams.

With the win, Fisher improves to 20-5 overall and 14-2 in the Empire 8, while the Ducks fall to 12-13, 8-8. 

The two schools will play again next Friday at 6 p.m. at Fisher's Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.

The Cardinals claimed the No. 1 seed for next weekend's Empire 8 Championship last night and will host the four-team tournament (Stevens is the No. 4 seed). Second-seeded Nazareth College and No. 3 Hartwick College will play in Friday's other semifinal matchup at 8 p.m. Friday's two winners will play at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Fisher in the Empire 8 title game with an automatic bid the NCAA Division III Championship on the line.

Fisher won the Empire 8 Championship last winter on its home court and has won 27 straight at home.

Today's win marks the 15^th time in the program's history the Cardinals have reached the 20-win plateau and the eighth time in head coach Rob Kornaker's 15-year career.

Stevens, who led only once in the game at 2-0, tied the game up for the second time on the day at 66-66 on a driving layup for just over 35 seconds left. On the ensuing possession with the shot-clock running down, point guard Tyler Hart drove into the lane and hit English in mid-air for the game-winning play.

Stevens attempted a 35-footer at the buzzer, but the shot was off the mark.

Fisher took a 13-10 lead on a three-point-play from Hart with 15:10 left in the opening period. The play marked the beginning of a 15-0 run over the next four to give the Cardinals their biggest lead of the day at 26-10.

Stevens, however, would close out the first half with a 10-2 run to pull the Ducks within four at 33-29 at the break.

The Ducks would tie the game up at 41s early in the second half, but Fisher would regain the advantage and led by as many as seven.

Fisher led 59-53 with just over five minutes to go, thanks to Keegan Ryan's first career 3-pointer. The Ducks pulled to within one at 63-62 with just over two minutes to go. English put Fisher up 66-62 on a 3-pointer from the right corner with 1:36 left and scored the eventual game-winning basketball two possessions later.

Ryan led Fisher with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Hart tallied a team-high nine assists. English was 6-of-8 from the floor and finished with 14 points, while Alex Sausville totaled 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Zach Ottaway drained three 3-pointers and scored 11 points.