PITTSFORD, N.Y. – In what turned out to be an instant classic, the St. John Fisher men's basketball team defeated Nazareth College, 103-93, in a double-overtime contest on Bobby Wanzer Court. With the win, the Cardinals remain on top of the Empire 8 with a 12-1 conference record and improve to 17-5 overall.

Before all of the excitement, the Cardinals honored their five seniors, Michael D'Amico, Zach Ottaway, Joe Marchione, Keegan Ryan and Dan Vaulman, for their contributions they've made to the program through the years.

Fisher entered the first half firing, opening up the contest with a 10-0 run. Keegan Ryan helped build the lead, scoring four of the 10 on nifty lay ins. Naz's offense wasn't flustered though and the two teams exchanged buckets for the remainder of the stanza. Fisher would go on to close out the period with a 39-31 lead.

The second half saw more back-and-forth action, with neither team able to go on a run of more than four points. Slowly, though, Naz crept back into the picture, evening the score at 65s with just 3:28 left in regulation.

The Golden Flyers would take a one-point lead on a Tyler Stenglein free throw with 1:45 remaining. Not discouraged, the Cardinals continued to apply offensive pressure, eventually paying off as Jake Haight hit a lay up with just under a minute to go. The bucket would be followed by a Tyler English free throw on the next possession, giving the Cardinals a two-point edge with only 16 clicks left on the clock. Nazareth's Brandon Wind would force the game to its first overtime though, hitting a jump with just seconds to go.

After English hit a free throw to go up one in the first overtime, Naz answered with a 3-pointer to make the score 73-71 in its favor. Some tough defense from the Golden Flyers through the next few minutes caused the Cardinals to foul in an attempt to slow the game down. Nazareth would extend its lead to five points with just under a minute to go in the extra time and the game came down to who would miss first.

English led the comeback, beginning with an old fashioned three-point play at the 33 second mark. Another foul brought Naz to the line, where the the Golden Flyers again sank two, but English found another path to the hoop on the ensuing possession, scoring on layup. This exact same instance would happen one more time, with Naz hitting free throws and English making a lay up. On Naz's third trip in a minute to the charity stripe though, the Golden Flyers hit one shot, leaving it at a one-possession game with seven seconds left. That was just enough time for the Cardinals to find Engish in the corner. The junior caught the pass, rose up and heaved a three pointer, only to see it circle the rim, kiss the glass and fall in with .2 left on the clock.

With momentum on its side, Fisher went to work in the second overtime. Alex Doche earned a two points at the free throw line after getting an offensive board just 20 seconds in. Naz would put up a 3-pointer to follow, but the Cardinals could feel a shift. Starting with an English bucket, Fisher would go on a 10-0 run that lasted nearly the entirety of the second OT. Nazareth would attempt a small comeback in the final minute but it was thwarted as Fisher moved one step closer to clinching the top seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship.

English led the offense as his 33 points shattered his career-high. Ryan also had a dominate night, putting in 24 of his own. Also pitching in was Tyler Farrell, who reached a season-high points with 13.

Ryan also notched his 40^th double-double of his career as the senior hauled in 14 boards on the day.

Fisher will return to action at 8 p.m. on Wednesday as it squares off in a home battle against the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College.