TROY, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team ran its winning streak to 13 games on Saturday as the Cardinals closed out their regular season with a 66-47 win over The Sage Colleges inside Kahl Gym. The win, which marked Fisher's 17th in its last 18 contests, moved the team to a 20-5 record and a 15-1 standing in the Empire 8 Conference heading into next week's championship. The Gators fell to 18-6 overall and 12-3 in the Empire 8.
After a slow start in the first period in which the Cardinals managed just eight points, Fisher continued to play from behind as the second quarter got underway. Trailing 10-8, Sage would build a five-point lead after scoring five of the stanza's first seven points to hold a 15-10 edge. The Cardinals would erase the deficit with a 6-0 run after three straight layups staked the visitors to a one-point margin.
As the quarter progressed, Sage would open up a four-point cushion only to see Fisher battle back to knot the contest at 20-20 with 1:16 remaining in the first half. After a Fisher turnover, the Gators crashed the glass and drew a foul before sinking a pair of free throws to head into intermission with a slim lead, 22-20.
The Cardinals would hit their stride to start the third quarter as Fisher outscored its host 21-4 over the first five minutes of play after converting nine of its first 12 field goals to turn a two-point deficit into a 15-point lead, 41-26.
After a Sage free throw halted 13 unanswered points from Fisher, the Cardinals continued to pour it on as
Caroline Robertson buried a 3-pointer and scored seven straight points as part of a larger 9-0 run to hold a commanding 20-point lead, 50-30, heading to the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Cardinals showed why they'd won 12 straight games as Fisher held Sage to just two field goals, which came seven minutes apart, in the frame.
Fisher's lead would increase to 24 in the fourth quarter after a pair of free throws from
Nicole Robinson made it 56-32. The advantage remained firmly in Fisher's hands as the Cardinals continued to roll down the stretch en route to the 19-point win.
Robertson led the team and scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. The senior also contributed three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Robinson had a strong game as well with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Sydney Masna added seven points in 17 minutes while
Erin Hulbert chipped in six points, five boards and five assists.
The Cardinals, which have reached the 20-win plateau for the third time in the last four seasons, will look to match their longest winning streak since 2005 at 8 p.m. on Friday when they host the Empire 8 Championship inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium. Fisher, which will play as the tournament's top overall seed, will face the fourth seeded Houghton College Highlanders while No. 2 Sage will duke it out with No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology. The winner of each semifinal will play at 4 p.m. on Saturday with a spot in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on the line.
