PITTSFORD, N.Y. – James Leone finished with a double-double as the St. John Fisher College men's basketball team completed the season sweep of Houghton College on Friday after topping the Highlanders, 84-69, in an Empire 8 clash inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.  With the win, Fisher improved to 12-7 on the year and 7-1 in the conference while Houghton fell to 4-15, 2-6, respectively. 

The Cardinals got off to a hot start as Fisher buried five of its first six shots to hold a 10-3 lead with just 2:21 gone by.  Houghton would temporarily halt the Cardinals' momentum with a lay-up to make it 10-5, but a 3-pointer on the far side from Dennis Hare sparked a 15-4 run that saw Fisher extend its lead to 16 points, 25-9. 

The lead would grow to as many as 19 points in the first half, but the Highlanders continued to work their offense as the half ticked away.  Facing a double-digit deficit, Houghton found its groove as the visitors orchestrated a run of their own and outscored Fisher 15-4 over a two minute stretch that saw the Highlanders go 6-for-6 from the field with three from distance to pull to within six points, 40-34.

With under two minutes to play before the break, Fisher regained its composure and closed out the half with six unanswered points to take a 12-point lead into the locker room.

Ahead 46-34 to begin the second half, Fisher's momentum continued to build after a 15-4 burst set the home team up with a 67-48 advantage with eight minutes having ticked off the clock.  The Cardinals' lead grew to as many as 20 points with 7:16 remaining in the game before the Highlanders cut the deficit down to 15.  The gap, however, was too much to overcome as the final horn sounded on Fisher's seventh win in Empire 8 play.

Leone finished with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with three assists in the win.  Sammy Robinson added a team-leading 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting while Hare chipped in with 15 points and three boards in all.  Brendan Trapper came off the bench and contributed 11 points while Matt Asenjo netted eight points in 17 minutes.

As a team, Fisher was 33-of-65 (.508) from the floor and knocked down six 3-pointers in the game.  The Cardinals out-rebounded Houghton, 40-25, and handed out 22 assists. 

The Cardinals are right back at it at 2 p.m. on Saturday when they host Alfred University in another Empire 8 bout inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.