ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's basketball team outlasted the Rochester Institute of technology Tigers, 80-70, on Saturday night in the final game of the fourth annual Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.  With the win, Fisher, which is ranked 25th in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, closed out the week at 3-2 while the Tigers fell to 2-2 following the loss.

Neither team was able to gain a clear advantage over the first 10 minutes of play until a jumper in the paint by Sean Williams sparked a 12-0 run that staked the Cardinals to a double-digit lead, 31-20.

The Tigers would cut the deficit to eight points with just over five minutes still showing on the clock in the first half, but the Cardinals countered with seven of the game's next 11 points including a 3-pointer by Mark Valeriani to hold an 11-point edge, 38-27.  From there, the Cardinals' lead would grow to 13 before RIT closed out the half with four quick points to head into the break trailing by nine, 44-35.

As the second half got underway, Fisher struggled to maintain its hold as the Tigers eventually pulled even at 51-51 midway through the period before forging ahead by one, 55-54.

With momentum favoring RIT, Fisher would turn the tides after building a six-point advantage courtesy of a three points from sophomore Brendan Trapper.  Ahead 65-59 with 5:39 remaining in the game, RIT continued to remain within striking distance as the Tigers drained a 3-pointer on the wing to push ahead, 68-67, with under three minutes to go.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as the Cardinals took over and closed out the game with a 13-2 run that featured eight free throws to escape with a 10-point win.

James Leone led the team with 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and three steals while Sammy Robinson finished with 17 points, eight boards and three helpers.  Trapper added 17 points off the bench while Valeriani chipped in with 11 points in the win.

The Cardinals will return to the hardwood at 6 p.m. on Tuesday when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bengals in a non-conference matchup.