PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team overcame a late deficit in the second half to earn a hard-fought 68-64 win over the visiting Alfred University Saxons Tuesday night on Bobby Wanzer Court in Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.  The win, which moved Fisher's winning streak to four games, improved the Cardinals' overall record to 16-5 and 11-1 in the Empire 8.  Alfred fell to 8-13, 5-7, respectively. 

The Cardinals were able to shake off a slow start in the early goings of the first half as Fisher went on a 13-0 run capped by a layup from Keegan Ryan to make it 16-4 in the home team's favor with nearly seven minutes gone by.

Fisher would push its lead to 15 points two minutes later as Ryan Henderson sank a 3-pointer from the corner, but momentum would shift as the half wore on after Alfred scored seven unanswered points to pull to within eight, 21-13.  Jake Haight would thrill the crowd after stealing an errant Saxons' pass and taking it the length of the floor for the dunk, but Alfred continued to knock down shots and followed with a 10-1 run to cut the Cardinals' lead to just three points, 26-23, with 5:22 left to go before intermission. 

Alex Doche and Tyler English staked Fisher to a seven-point advantage after connecting on 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, but the Saxons continued to match Fisher basket-for-basket and headed into halftime down five, 37-32.

Alfred continued to push the tempo as the second half got underway and would eventually take the lead at 14:23 on a short jumper to make it 46-44.  The Saxons's lead grew to as many as four points before Ryan scored four straight for the Cardinals to tie the game at 54-54.  The lead would change hands five times over the next 6:54 before Fisher knotted things up again at 64-64 with 1:38 left to play in the game on a Ryan free throw. 

With the game tied and time winding down, the Cardinals went to work.  After a missed 3-pointer, Haight corralled an offensive rebound to give Fisher a fresh shot clock.  The home team worked the ball around the perimeter before Alex Sausville put up a jumper that was tipped home by Henderson to give the Cardinals a two-point lead with five seconds remaining in regulation. 
Trailing by two, Alfred called a timeout and drew up a play, but Tyler Farrell blocked away the ensuing shot to preserve the win for Fisher.

Ryan led the way for Fisher with his 39th career double-double.  The senior forward finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting.  Haight added 12 points in the win including a pair of free throws in the final seconds.  Henderson finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists while Sausville contributed 10 points in the win.

St. John Fisher will take the court at 4 p.m. on Saturday when it hosts Nazareth College in the Battle of the Beaks on Bobby Wanzer Court.  Prior to the game, the team will recognize the members of its senior class.