PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team nearly overcame a double-digit deficit on Friday before having its four-game winning streak snapped by Houghton College, 58-55, in an Empire 8 bout inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court. With the loss, Fisher fell to 7-5 overall and 2-1 in the Empire 8 Conference while Houghton improved to 8-6 overall and 4-1 in the conference standings.
After playing from behind for much of the first three quarters, Fisher began to mount a comeback with 3:35 left to play in the fourth period. Trailing by 10 points, 52-42, the Cardinals scored nine points in a span of 71 seconds to pull to within one with 2:24 left to play.
Nicole Robinson got the ball rolling after spinning through the lane and kissing it off the glass. After forcing the Highlanders into a turnover at midcourt, Robinson drove and kicked it out to
Olivia Baumann who drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to bring Fisher to within five points.
Trailing by two possessions, Fisher pressured the ball as Houghton sent an errant pass out of bound to hand the Cardinals the ball back with momentum on their side. Coming out of a timeout,
Caroline Robertson beat her defender off the dribble before being fouled. The senior forward converted both attempts from the stripe to make it a three point game before freshman
Sydney Masna came up with a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass and banked it home to make it a 52-51 contest.
Houghton responded with a pair of free throws at the other end, but the Cardinals continued to fight as Baumann drilled two clutch free throws down the stretch to keep it a one point affair. Fisher resorted to fouling to conserve time as the Highlanders pushed their cushion back to three points with 23 seconds remaining on the clock.
Facing a final opportunity, Fisher called timeout to regroup before Robinson corralled a feed from Masna for two of her six points to give the Cardinals new life, but time ran short on the comeback bid as Houghton squeaked out a 58-55 win.
Baumann finished with a team-high 13 points off the bench while Robertson added 12 points and three rebounds.
Erin Hulbert contributed five points, eight boards and two assists overall and Robinson chipped in six points, three rebounds and two helpers.
The Cardinals are back in action at 4 p.m. on Saturday when they dual Alfred University in an Empire 8 clash inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium.
