PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team drained nine 3-pointers as the Cardinals handed visiting Hartwick College a 69-66 loss on Friday evening on Bobby Wanzer Court inside the Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.  The win moved Fisher's overall record to 6-8 and 3-2 in the Empire 8 standings while Hartwick, which entered the game riding a seven-game winning streak, fell to 10-6 on the season and suffered its first loss in conference play to move to 6-1.

The Cardinals had the hot hand early in the opening period as their first four made field goals were from behind the arc including back-to-back 3-pointers from Maria Kelleher to give Fisher a 12-9 lead with 3:22 to go. 

Fisher would open up a 14-11 lead on a lay-up from Chelsea Repard before the Hawks tied things up with a 3-pointer from the wing.  From there, the lead would swap hands two more times with Hartwick holding a 19-16 lead at the end of the quarter.

Fisher continued to knock down shots from distance to start the second frame as Kelleher found Emily Piacentini at the top of the key for a triple to knot things up at 19-19.

After exchanging baskets over the next five minutes, Hartwick possessed a slim lead, 25-23, but Piacentini turned defense into offense as the senior guard accounted for two steals and six points to stake the Cardinals to a 29-25 advantage with 2:22 left to go before intermission.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as the Hawks nailed consecutive shots from downtown to turn a four-point deficit into a two-point lead, but as had been the trend throughout the first half, the lead would change hands again as Fisher closed out the quarter with a 7-2 run fueled by four more points from Piacentini to take a 36-33 lead into the locker room.

Hartwick came out of the break energized as the visitors reeled off 10 unanswered points to open the third quarter to make it 43-36.  The momentum wouldn't last though as the Cardinals answered with a run of their own, scoring 17 of the game's next 20 points capped by back-to-back lay-ups from Nicole Robinson to open up their largest lead of the game, 64-53.

Trailing by 11 points midway through the fourth quarter, Hartwick began to chip away at Fisher's lead and eventually pulled to within two points, 67-65, courtesy of a 7-1 run, but Fisher would ice the game at the free throw line to earn the all-important conference decision.

Piacentini led the way for Fisher with a game-high 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field.  She also added four rebounds, three assists and three steals.  Kelleher finished with 16 points on five made 3-pointers while Erin Hulbert contributed nine points and a team-best five helpers.  Jessica Rhone had eight points in the win and Caroline Robertson pulled down 11 boards.

The Cardinals will look to keep their momentum going at 2 p.m. on Saturday when they host Stevens Institute of Technology in an Empire 8 showdown.