PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team cruised to its conference-leading ninth win on Saturday as Fisher yielded a season-low 35 points in a 59-35 decision against visiting Utica College inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.  Fisher, which has now won seven straight games and 11 of its last 12, improved to 14-5 on the season and 9-1 in the Empire 8 standings.  Utica closed out its weekend at 7-11 and 3-6, respectively.   

After an evenly played first quarter in which Fisher carried over a five-point lead, the Pioneers would cut the deficit to three after starting the second period with a give-and-go layup.  Erin Hulbert would drain an open 3-pointer on the wing to make it 16-10 in Fisher's favor but Utica followed up with an old-fashioned 3-point play of its own to keep pace.  The Pioneers would go cold, however, as the Cardinals held their opponent without a point for nearly seven minutes while using a 10-0 run fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers from Hulbert and Chelsea Repard to take a double-digit lead, 26-13.

Utica finally got on the board with 33 seconds left in the quarter, but Repard answered back with her second triple of the game to send Fisher into the locker room with a 29-16 edge.

As the third quarter got underway, Fisher continued to build its advantage after an 8-2 including six points from Caroline Robertson staked the home team to a 39-20 lead.  After swapping buckets over the final three minutes of the stanza, Fisher took a 19-point cushion into the fourth quarter.

Both teams found a rhythm as the final frame got underway, but Utica was never able to mount a comeback as the Cardinals closed out the contest with an 8-2 run to extend their winning streak.

Three players reached double figures in scoring for the Cardinals led by Nicole Robinson's 11 points.  The senior forward also added five rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals in the win.  Hulbert and Robertson scored 10 points apiece with Hulbert notching eight boards and three assists.  Alex Reigle contributed nine points and hauled in a career-high nine boards while Liga Astra Kalnina grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

Defensively, Fisher held Utica to just 12 field goals overall and surrendered just one make from behind the arc.  The Cardinals forced 17 turnovers and out-rebounded Utica, 49-38.

Fisher is back at it at 8 p.m. on Friday as it hosts Stevens Institute of Technology.