Second-seeded St. John Fisher College dropped a 69-65 decision to No. 3 Ithaca College on Friday in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Championship.

With the loss, Fisher, currently ranked 26^th nationally and No. 5 in the NCAA Division III East Region, falls to 22-4 overall.  The Cardinals, who had won eight straight and 17 of their last 18, will now wait until Monday afternoon to find out if they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

In a game that featured 18 lead-changes and 15 ties, Ithaca went on an 8-2 run over the final 2:30 to pull out the win.

Ithaca opened the game with a 5-0 run, but Fisher rallied late in the first quarter and Emily Piacentini's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Fisher the 20-18 lead after one.

Fisher scored just 12 points in the second quarter and trailed 35-32 going into the locker room.

In the third quarter, Ithaca led by as many as seven points at 49-42 with 4:33 left, but Fisher answered with an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Claire Walsh to put the Cardinals back on top at 53-51 with 1:19 left in the third.

The final frame was another back-and-forth quarter, with Fisher's last field goal coming with 6:08 remaining.  Fisher's Caroline Robertson made two free throws with 2:44 left to put her team up 63-61, but Ithaca answered with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to retake the lead.

Senior Mary Kate Cusack scored 19 points, while Robertson finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, marking her first career double-double.

Nicole Robinson added 10 points and six boards, while Walsh and Piacentini chipped in with nine and eight points, respectively