HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team will enter the postseason riding a four-game winning streak after the Cardinals dispatched of Houghton College on Tuesday, 73-60, in an Empire 8 game held within the Nielson Center.  With the win, Fisher concluded its regular season with an 18-7 overall record and a 12-4 mark in conference play.  The win had added significance as the Cardinals also locked down the third seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship.  Houghton's season came to an end with the loss as the Highlanders finished the 2018-19 season at 11-14 overall and 4-12 in the Empire 8 standings.

Freshman Leah Koonmen finished with a game-high 17 points including 10 in the second half while Ella Eckert added 15 points, five rebounds and three dimes in the win.  Sydney Masna finished with 11 points, three boards and a pair of assists overall while Miranda Lynch netted eight points off the bench.  Mallory Wood contributed six points while Alex Reigle chipped in with four points and a game-high five assists in all.

The Cardinals fell behind by seven points early, but were able to recover as Fisher used a 7-2 run over the final 3:19 of the opening quarter to head into the second period trailing by one points, 16-15.

The lead would change hands four times to begin the second quarter before a layup from Eckert tied the game at 21-21 and sparked what turned into an 17-0 burst over a six minute span to put the visitors ahead 36-15 at the break.

In the third quarter, the lead would expand to 23 points when Lynch buried a 3-pointer to make it 51-28.  From there, Houghton cut the gap to 18 points, but Fisher countered with six quick points including an old-fashioned 3-point play by Eckert to push the cushion to 24 points.

After seeing its lead slip to 19 to begin the fourth frame, the Cardinals found themselves in the midst of a 5-0 run by Houghton to knock the lead down to 14 points.  The momentum, however, continued to favor Fisher down the stretch as the Cardinals pushed their lead back to 18 points with time winding down.

As a team, Fisher finished the game with 17 assists on 28 field goals.  The Cardinals shot nearly 52 percent from the floor and connected on 12-of-14 chances at the free throw line in the win.

Fisher's season will continue on Friday when it takes on second-seeded Nazareth College in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championship, which will be played at Hartwick College in Oneonta.