PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Three players scored in double figures as the St. John Fisher College men's basketball team knocked down nine 3-pointers en route to a 78-63 win over Utica College on Saturday afternoon on Bobby Wanzer Court in Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.  With the win, Fisher, which sits in first place in the conference standings, moved to 15-5 overall and 10-1 in the Empire 8.  Utica fell to 6-14 overall and 6-5 in conference play.

Keegan Ryan led all scorers and notched his 38th career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.  Jake Haight finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and Ryan Henderson chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.  Tyler English had a solid overall performance with nine points, six boards and four assists while Alex Doche added eight points in the win. 

The Pioneers controlled the tempo from the first whistle and held a 10-7 lead with four minutes gone by, but the lead would be short-lived as Fisher took over and scored 11 unanswered points as part of a 14-3 run to take a 21-12 lead with 11:47 left to go before the break.  Utica halted the run temporarily with a jumper to pull to within seven, but Fisher opened up an 18-point lead after stringing together 11 consecutive points including an old-fashioned 3-point play by Ryan to hold a 32-14 edge with 7:34 showing on the clock.

Both teams swapped possessions with time winding down until the Cardinals closed out the opening stanza with a 9-3 burst to head into halftime with a 22-point lead, 46-24.

Coming out of intermission, Haight staked the Cardinals to their largest lead with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 51-28, but Utica continued to chipped away at Fisher's lead as the Pioneers scored 15 of the game's next 18 points including nine unanswered to come to within 11 points, 54-43, near the midway mark of the second half.

With the momentum shifting, Fisher countered with a run of its and outscored the Pioneers 12-2 over the next 3:34 to regain control with a 68-47 lead.  The lead would balloon back to 23 points with 2:42 left to play.  Trailing by double-digits, Utica finished the game on a 10-3 run, but time expired as Fisher picked up another critical win in conference play.

As a team, the Cardinals shot 24-of-53 (.453) from the floor and 21-for-30 from the free throw line.  St. John Fisher forced the Pioneers into 15 total turnovers and out-rebounded its guests, 39-24, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.

Fisher continues play on Bobby Wanzer Court at 8 p.m. on Tuesday when it hosts Alfred University in an Empire battle.