ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A pair of players recorded double-doubles while four starters scored in double figures for the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team as the Cardinals defeated the University of Rochester, 68-54, Thursday night. The game was played at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Clark Gym as part of the Marks Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout.

Fisher, who is ranked 15^th in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III Coaches Poll, improve to 4-0 on the year. It is the best start to a season for the Cardinals since the 2015-2016 campaign. The Yellowjackets drop to 3-2 overall.

Sophomore Ella Eckert led the Cardinals with 18 points for a second consecutive game while shooting 7-of-14 from the floor. The East Amherst native also grabbed 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Sophomore Julia Mertsock also notched a double-double for Fisher with 13 points and 13 boards.

Eckert scored the Cardinals first two buckets of the game with a pair of layups in the paint in the opening minutes. A jumper from Mertsock pushed the lead to five at 11-6 with just under five minutes remaining in first. The Fisher played tough defensively to start allowing only eight points total in the opening frame while not allowing the Rochester to score any points for five and half straight minutes.

The game would remain close in the second quarter with the Yellowjackets even tying it at 15 a piece but Fisher would continue to find an answer to go back on top. Freshman Harper Mead earned one of her team-high five assists when she set up sophomore Leah Koonmen for a lay up to give the Cardinals a 23-19 edge with 1:05 left in the half. Eckert was then able to get to the charity stripe and sink a pair of free throws with under 30 seconds remaining as Fisher held to a four-point advantage heading into the locker room.

Out of half time, Koonmen found sophomore Miranda Lynch who sank a trey 12 seconds into the third quarter to make it a seven-point game. Just over 40 seconds later, Mertsock passed it to Eckert for the score to push the lead to nine at 30-21. Rochester would cut the difference to three, however, the Cardinals responded with an 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead. Sophomore Mallory Wood earned a pair of buckets during the stretch.

Late in third with the score 40-35 in favor of Fisher, the Cardinals forced a turnover with 20 seconds left on the clock. Koonmen then gave it to Lynch for the lay up with just four seconds remaining to put Fisher in front by seven heading into the final quarter.

The Cardinals came out soaring to begin the final quarter with a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game at 16. The run was highlighted by a three-pointer from Koonmen. The Yellowjackets were able to cut the lead to nine down the stretch but that is the closest they would get as Fisher continued to hit its free throws going 22-of-25 from the line. It was most free throws made in a game by the Cardinals since 2017 and their best free throw percentage in a game since 2018.

Lynch tied with Mertsock for second on the team in points with 13. Koonmen registered 11 points while going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. After shooting just over 31 percent in the first half, the Cardinals made 43.3 percent of their shots in the second half.

Defensively, Fisher only allowed the Yellowjackets to make just over 30 percent of their shots on the night. The Cardinals won the rebound battle, 52-33, and never trailed the entire game.

Fisher looks to remain undefeated when they return to RIT on Saturday for another game in the Marks Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout. The Cardinals will face off with the host Tigers with tip off scheduled for 8 p.m.