ELMIRA, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team continued to roll as the Cardinals won their fifth consecutive game in a 91-82 win over Elmira College on Thursday evening inside Speidel Gymnasium.  With the triumph, Fisher, which has not lost to the Soaring Eagles since 2001, a span of 31 games, moved to 7-4 overall and 2-0 in the Empire 8 standings while Elmira, which has now lost three straight contests, fell to 2-9 on the season and 0-2 against conference competition. 

Six different players reached double figures in scoring led by Sammy Robinson's double-double as the sophomore finished with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds.  Senior Tyler English added 21 points and four rebounds in the win while Jake Haight chipped in with 10 points and eight boards off the bench.  Dylan Harrington was 3-for-5 overall with 13 points and six rebounds while Dennis Hare and Ryan Henderson contributed 10 points apiece.

Both teams battled for the lead as the game got underway, but Fisher would find itself trailing Elmira by eight points, 31-23, as the Soaring Eagles used an 8-0 run to create some breathing room with just over 10 minutes to play in the opening half. 

As the game continued, the Cardinals slowly chipped away and eventually pulled to within one, 42-41, as Haight corralled an offensive rebound and was fouled on the put back to finish the old-fashioned 3-point play.

As the second half got underway, Fisher carried over its momentum and took the lead for good after bridging the first and second stanzas with a 7-0 run to hold a 45-42 edge.  After an Elmira basket, the Cardinals continued to find their stride and created a double-digit cushion after stringing together 12 unanswered points including four points from both Robinson and English to open up a 57-45 lead.

Trailing by a large margin, the Soaring Eagles continued to knock down shots and ultimately pulled to within three points, 73-70, but the visitors put the game out of reach as a 5-0 run extended the lead back to eight points with time winding down. 

Overall, Fisher was 30-for-61 (.492) from the floor while Elmira converted 28 of its 61 shot attempts.  The Cardinals totaled nearly 20 more rebounds in the win and forced their host into 15 turnovers on the night.
   
St. John Fisher will be idle until 6 p.m. on Friday, January 12 when its hosts Houghton College inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court in an Empire 8 clash.