PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team was done in by a game-winning buzzer-beater from Houghton College on Friday as the Cardinals fell to the Highlanders, 74-73, in an Empire 8 tilt inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.  With the loss, Fisher slipped to 13-6 on the year and 6-2 in the conference while Houghton improved to 5-15 overall and 3-5 against Empire 8 opponents.

After falling behind by six points through three quarters of play, the Cardinals looked to push the tempo early as a lay-up by Harper Mead kick started an 8-2 run that tied the game up at 58 points aside with 7:10 left in the game.

The Highlanders would push their lead back to three points following an old-fashioned 3-point play, but the Cardinals answered on the other end of the floor with a 3-pointer from Miranda Lynch.  The tides would change, however, as Houghton delivered on the offensive end of the floor over the next four minutes and built a six-point cushion with 2:25 left to play in the game.

Facing a 72-66 deficit with time winding down, Fisher's pace quickened as Julia Mertsock hauled down an offensive rebound as the sophomore was fouled and sent to the line where she went 2-for-2 from the stripe to make it a four-point game.  From there, Amy Gardner worked the Highlanders' defense and scored on two straight possessions including an and-one that staked Fisher to a 73-72 edge with 29 seconds still showing on the game clock. 

Trailing by one, Houghton called a timeout to regroup and draw up one final play.  The visitors worked the ball around the perimeter, but couldn't find an open shot against Fisher's swarming defense.  After clanging a shot off the backboard, the visitors went into scramble mode with three seconds on the clock and heaved a 3-pointer that missed its mark but fell into the waiting hands of a Highlanders' player on the weak side who hurried a shot off the glass and in for the buzzer-beating, game-winning lay-up.

Ella Eckert finished with her seventh double-double of the year and third in her last three games as the East Amherst native produced a team-leading 22 points and 12 rebounds to go along with two steals and two blocked shots.  Mertsock finished with a double-double of her own with 12 points and 11 boards as the Castile native nabbed a career-high five steals.  Gardner chipped in with 12 points on the day.  Lynch and Leah Koonmen each added nine points while Mead netted four points and handed out two assists.

The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround as they host Alfred University at 4 p.m. on Saturday in another Empire 8 clash on Bobby Wanzer Court.