PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team had its three-game winning streak halted on Tuesday as the Cardinals fell in non-conference action to William Smith College, 69-66, inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.  With the defeat, Fisher moved to 3-2 while the Herons improved their season mark to 3-1.

Senior Caroline Robertson posted 16 points and nine rebounds in the loss to go along with three assists and a steal.  The Glenhead native was perfect from the free throw line, sinking 9-of-9 attempts.  Fellow senior Nicole Robinson also notched 16 points for the Cardinals and hauled in eight boards of her own.  Robinson was 6-for-12 from the floor and stuffed the stat sheet with five assists, four blocked shots and four steals in 32 minutes of action.  Junior Erin Hulbert tallied her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds along with six helpers and three steals.  Chelsea Repard added nine points on three 3-pointers at the guard position.

After a back-and-forth first quarter of play, the momentum continued to change hands as the second quarter got underway.  The Herons would lead by as many as four points until the Cardinals put together a 7-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Olivia Baumann to take a one-point lead, 23-22.  With 3:19 remaining in the opening half, William Smith scored seven straight points in a span of 60 seconds to reclaim the advantage, but a 3-pointer by Robertson followed by a lay-up from Robinson kept the game close as both teams headed to their respective locker room with the Herons up by two, 30-28.

In the third quarter, both teams seemed to find their stride as the lead changed hands five times over the first five minutes of play with Fisher holding a two-point edge, 39-37, after Repard buried a corner three on a feed from Alex Reigle.  The margin would be short-lived though as William Smith countered by scoring 11 of the stanza's final 17 points to head to the fourth period with a 48-45 advantage. 

Trailing by three with 10 minutes left in the contest, the Cardinals battled back with a 9-1 run fueled by an old-fashioned three-point play by Baumann to claim a 54-51 lead.  The Herons proceeded to break down the Cardinals' defense with a pair of buckets in the paint, but Fisher once again strung together a scoring run to create some breathing room, this time producing seven of the game's next eight points to hold its largest lead of the game, 61-56.

With just over three minutes showing on the game clock, Fisher's momentum slowed as William Smith climbed its way back into contention and tied the game with a pair of free throws at 62.  The Cardinals quickly brought the ball across the timeline and settled into their offense set before Repard found room on the wing and drained another from distance to lift Fisher to a three-point lead, but a 7-1 run by the visitors over the final 1:20 turned the tide as William Smith escaped with the non-conference victory.

As a team, Fisher distributed the ball well and had 16 assists on 21 made field goals.  Defensively, head coach Melissa Kuberka's team forced the Herons into 13 turnovers and allowed 26 points in the paint.

The Cardinals will return to action at 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 7th at nationally-ranked University of Rochester when they take part in the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout.