ONEONTA, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team clinched a spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship as the Cardinals defeated Hartwick College on Sunday on the road, 88-77, in Lambros Arena.  With the win, Fisher moved to 15-7 overall and 10-3 in the Empire 8 standings while the Hawks fell to 9-14 overall and 5-9 against conference competition. 
 
Ryan Henderson posted a big game with 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go along with four rebounds and four assists.  The senior forward needs just 44 points to join the 1,000-point club with three games remaining in the regular season. James Leone netted 16 points and pulled down five boards in the win while Matt Asenjo added 13 points in 26 minutes. 
 
As a team, Fisher was 31-of-60 (.517) overall from the floor and converted 16-of-23 attempts from the free throw line.  Defensively, the Cardinals held Hartwick to just 36 percent shooting on the day out-rebounded their host, 42-37.
 
It was all Fisher from the opening tip as the Cardinals knocked down three straight 3-pointers on their first three possessions as part of an 11-0 run over the first 3:17 of play.  From there, the two teams would swap buckets down the stretch until Fisher strung together seven straight points to open up a 15-point edge, 40-25 with under one minute to go before intermission.  Trailing by double digits, Hartwick was able to drive the ball and get to the line as the Hawks knocked down four free throws in the closing seconds to head into the break facing an 11-point gap.
 
As the second half began, the Cardinals' lead would grow to 17 after six unanswered points before the Hawks found their footing and returned the favor with a 7-1 burst of their own to make it a 47-36 affair with plenty of time remaining. 
 
The lead remained firmly in Fisher's hands as the period wore on until Hartwick made its move with under 10 minutes showing on the clock.  With the Cardinals ahead by 13 points, the home team erased the deficit and took its first lead of the game, 61-59, courtesy of a 15-0 run.
 
With the momentum favoring Hartwick, Fisher turned the tides and scored seven of the game's next nine points including a big 3-pointer by Mark Valeriani to reclaim the lead, 66-63.  From there, Hartwick remained within striking distance before Fisher built a 10-point cushion with a 7-0 run that saw the visitors knock down 3-of-4 shots at the charity stripe. 
 
Leading by double digits, Hartwick pulled to within seven with a timely make from distance, but the Cardinals capped off the win with four consecutive foul shots to earn their second consecutive win in conference play.
 
Fisher will look to make it three wins in a row at 7:30 p.m. on Friday when it hosts Elmira College in an Empire 8 tilt inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.