PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team moved one step closer to clinching a spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship after defeating the visiting Elmira College Soaring Eagles, 85-71, Tuesday on Bobby Wanzer Court in Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.  With the win, Fisher improved to 12-11 and 9-5 in the conference standings while Elmira ended the day at 7-17 overall and 3-12 against Empire 8 opponents.

Five Cardinals notched double figures in scoring in the win led by Chelsea Repard's 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting.  Emily Piacentini finished with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds while Maria Kelleher added 12 points.  Jessica Rhone notched her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds including six on the offensive glass.

The Cardinals were firing on all cylinders to start the game and jumped out to a 12-3 lead after holding Elmira to just one field goal over the first four minutes of action.  The Soaring Eagles would shake off their slow start courtesy of a 8-2 run to pull to within three points, 14-11, and would eventually tie the contest at 20-20 before the Piacentini found Repard in the corner for a 3-pointer to put Fisher ahead by three points heading into the second period. 

In the second period, Elmira kept things close and tied the game again at 29-29, but Fisher used a 7-0 run over the next 52 seconds capped by a three-point play by Piacentini to open up a 36-29 edge.
Elmira would come to within four points late in the stanza after a four-point play, but the Cardinals closed out the half with five points to take a 47-40 lead into intermission.

The Cardinals put Elmira in a big hole to start the second half after building a 20-point lead courtesy of a 15-2 run, which included six baskets in the paint to make it 62-42.  Elmira would come to within 14 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Fisher pushed its advantage to as many as 21 points after a pair of free throws by Piacentini to seal the win.

Defensively, Fisher forced the Soaring Eagles into 24 turnovers overall while the Cardinals came away with 15 steals.

Fisher closes out the regular season on the road beginning with a 6 p.m. game on Friday against the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks in Hoboken, N.J.  From there, the team heads to Oneonta for a matchup with Hartwick at 2 p.m. on Saturday.