BUFFALO, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season on Tuesday as the Cardinals fell to Buffalo State, 77-71, inside the Buffalo State Sports Arena.  With the loss, Fisher slipped to 3-1 while the Bengals moved their season mark to 4-1.

Both teams jockeyed for the lead as the first quarter got underway until a pair of free throws from Sydney Masna sparked a modest 7-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Mallory Wood to make it 12-7 in the Cardinals' favor. 

The Bengals would cut it to a one possession game with 3:25 remaining in the period before Fisher closed out the opening stanza with six unanswered points including a 3-pointer from Olivia Baumann to head into the second quarter with a nine-point cushion, 18-9.

Fisher's lead would grow to 11 just 13 seconds into the second frame as Wood found Hulbert for two quick points, but the Bengals responded with six points of their own to pull to within four, 20-16. 

As the quarter ticked down, Fisher responded beginning with a 3-pointer from Miranda Lynch that ignited a 11-3 run fueled by four different players to open up a double-digit lead, 31-19, with just over one minute remaining in the half.

Buffalo State weathered the storm, however, and scored the final four points of the half to head into halftime trailing the Cardinals by seven, 31-24.  

As the third quarter got underway, Leah Koonmen staked the visitors to an 11-point lead with four consecutive points, but the tides began to turn as the period progressed with Buffalo State using a 12-0 burst to turn a double-digit deficit in to a two-point edge.  The lead would change hands five more times in a span of 61 seconds before the Cardinals closed out the third with 12 of the final 15 points to take a 55-49 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Fisher continued to control the tempo for a majority of the final period and held a seven-point margin with 3:25 remaining in the contest before the Bengals strung together another 12-point run to hold a one-possession lead.  Baumann would halt the bleeding with a pair of free throws, but Buffalo State went 3-for-4 at the line down the stretch to earn the non-conference victory.

Koonmen produced a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds while Masna added 11 points, eight boards and three dimes overall.  Baumann finished with 10 points and senior Erin Hulbert chipped in with seven points, eight assists and four rebounds.  

The Cardinals will enjoy a brief respite for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to the court at 6 p.m. on Saturday when they head to Schenectady to take on Union College.