PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Three players finished in double figures in the scoring column as the first-place St. John Fisher College men's basketball team ran its winning streak to five games on Friday after holding off Elmira College, 78-61, in an Empire 8 battle inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.  With the win, Fisher which played its first game of the New Year on its home floor Friday, improved to 10-6 on the season and 5-0 in conference play while Elmira dipped to 1-16, 0-6, respectively.

It was all Fisher to begin the game as the Cardinals jumped out to an early 12-2 lead after seven minutes of play courtesy of four points from Sammy Robinson.  The tides would change, however, as the Soaring Eagles found their shooting rhythm and buried five of their next six shots from the field to jump ahead, 20-19.

As the half continued, Elmira would open up a two-possession edge with a modest 5-2 run before Dylan Harrington found Robinson on the wing for a deep 3-pointer to make it 24-23 with just under three minutes to play before the break.

Clinging to a one-point lead, Elmira would push its advantage to three, but the Cardinals remained within striking distance and went into the locker room trailing by one following a lay-up by Dennis Hare that made it 29-28 at halftime.

The break in action seemed to energize the Cardinals as head coach Mike Grosodonia's team set the tempo right away with three steals in the first minute of play as Elmira was forced to call two timeouts to regroup.  The break did little to slow the Cardinals who continued to pour it on in the form of a 12-2 run to open up a nine-point cushion, 40-31.

With everything working in its favor, Fisher continued to hound the Soaring Eagles with a full court press that resulted in another big run, this time a 12-3 burst that saw the home team extend its lead to 13 points with 11:36 still showing on the clock.

With momentum siding with Fisher, Elmira looked to make a run as the visitors cut the deficit to six following a 13-2 run of its own, but the Soaring Eagles were unable to sustain the pace as Fisher ran its advantage up to 19 points before the horn sounded.

Robinson led Fisher with 19 points to go along with five rebounds while sophomore Sean Williams finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three helpers and four steals.  Matt Asenjo added 16 points and four steals while Harrington contributed nine points and six boards and three dimes.

As a team, Fisher was 31-of-61 (.508) from the floor and came away with 13 steals in all.  Elmira had a hard time breaking Fisher's press and finished with 22 turnovers on the night.
 
The Cardinals will look to remain atop the conference standings at 2 p.m. on Saturday when they welcome Hartwick College to campus for another Empire 8 bout inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.