Men's Basketball | 2/24/2016 8:47:00 AM

St. John Fisher College will host the Empire 8 Conference Men's Basketball Championship this weekend at Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium.

The top-seeded Cardinals (20-5 overall, 14-2 Empire 8) will host No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology (12-13, 8-8) at 6 p.m. Friday in the first semifinal matchup, while No. 2 Nazareth College (17-8, 13-3) and No. 3 Hartwick College (17-8, 12-4) will square off at 8 p.m.

The two winners will play at 4 p.m. Saturday in the title game with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Tickets for each day's games are $5 for adults and $3 for students, while children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge. More information regarding the tournament can be found here.

Fisher, winners of 27 straight at home, including two games in last year's Empire 8 Championship, will be looking to win its sixth Empire 8 title.

The Cardinals, currently receiving votes in the D3hoops.com national poll, are 13-4 all-time in Empire 8 Championship action, including an 11-1 mark in games played on Fisher's Bobby Wanzer Court.  Fisher is also 8-1 all-time in semifinal games.

This season marks the 15th time in the program's 53-year history the Cardinals have won 20 or more games in a season. The Cardinals lead the Empire 8 Conference in scoring defense (61.2 points per game), while ranking second in the Empire 8 in both field goal percentage (47.6%) and field goal percentage defense (41.6%).


Five players are averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cardinals, including preseason All-American Keegan Ryan, who leads Fisher in scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg).  Senior Tyler Hart is averaging 14.3 points per game and 7.8 assists over the last five contests.  Fellow senior Chaz Lott leads Fisher on the year in assists and steals, while averaging 11.8 points per game.

Sophomores Tyler English and Alex Sausville are averaging 11.8 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.