PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team improved its winning streak to five games on Friday as the Cardinals defeated Hartwick College, 71-65, on Bobby Wanzer Court inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. Fisher improved to 10-4 overall and remained unbeaten in Empire 8 action at 5-0. The Hawks fell to 11-5, 4-3, respectively.
Fisher held the Empire 8's top scoring offense 21 points below its season average and forced the Hawks into 16 turnovers while limiting Hartwick to just 36.7 percent shooting on the night (22-for-60).
Ryan Henderson led the charge for Fisher with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting including five from downtown.
Jake Haight notched his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds while
Keegan Ryan added 10 points and nine boards.
Alex Sausville contributed 13 points in the win along with four rebounds and three assists.
The Cardinals set the tempo early after jumping out to a 15-7 lead on the strength of three 3-pointers. Hartwick cut the gap to three points, 15-12, with 8:47 left to play in the opening half but Fisher responded with a 16-5 run capped by a
James Leone tip-in to take a double-digit lead, 29-18. The Hawks notched back-to-back buckets inside before
Sammy Robinson knocked down a three from the corner to send both teams into the break with Fisher holding a 34-22 edge.
The momentum carried over into the start of the second half for Fisher as the Cardinals rattled off 10 unanswered points bookended by 3-pointers from Henderson to make it 22-point game, 44-22. The home team would lead by as many as 24 points with 13:39 still showing on the clock before Hartwick found its groove with 10 straight points of its own to bring the score to 48-34 in Fisher's favor.
From there, the Hawks would continue to claw their way back into the game with timely shooting including five from behind the arc to cut Fisher's hold to just six points, 69-63, but the Cardinals came up with timely stops on the defensive end en route to the 71-65 win.
As a team, Fisher outrebounded Hartwick, 46-42, and nabbed 15 offensive boards. The Cardinals were credited with 16 assists on 25 made field goals and shot 25-of-64 (.391) overall from the floor.
Fisher returns to the hardwood at 4 p.m. on Saturday when it hosts Stevens Institute of Technology in another Empire 8 bout.
