PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team earned their first win in dominating fashion as they defeated Fredonia State 100-66, inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court. With the win, Cardinals improved to 1-2 in the infant season, while the Blue Devils dropped to 0-2 overall.
 
As the game tipped off, the Cardinals jumped out to an early 12-4 lead. Point guard Sean Williams opened the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by an enthusiastic Ian Duncan and-one. Fredonia then dug deep to go on a 9-2 run to bring the game within just a point, in which they would keep close for the remainder of the half as the teams continued to exchange buckets.
 
The Blue Devils knocked down four-straight three pointers to tie the contest up at 31-all, but the Cardinals turned back around to drag the lead back out to four points on back-to-back layups by Connor Recore. However, Fredonia scored a jumper last second jumper, effectively closing the gap as Fisher maintained a one-point advantage heading into the half.
 
Coach Grosodonia's squad came out of the intermission with a whole new tempo. Defensive adjustments forced full-court pressure onto the Blue Devils, as the Cardinals forced several turnovers and fast breaks. Just a blink later, Fisher went on a 29-9 run started by an alley-oop from Duncan to D3Hoops.com Preseason All-American, Daniel Cook, followed by hot-hand, Matt Panara, who made three three-pointers during the run.
 
With just four minutes to play, the defensive pressure continued as a Jack Foley steal turned into a fast break layup for Matt Lettko, which allowed the Cardinals to take a 91-63 point lead. With the game nearly in the bag, Fisher ran the clock out to secure their first win of the year and eclipse the 100-point mark for the first time since March 14, 2021 against Russell Sage.
 
The Cardinals exploded in the second half for 59 points, led in the game by Cook with 23, followed by Panara, who drained four three-pointers on the night for a career-high 18 points. Brendan Trapper finished with 15 points of his own, while Williams and Duncan both tallied 11.
 
Cook also led the team with 13 rebounds and was a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw stripe. Williams finished with eight assists, four rebounds and four steals as he helped Fisher force 29 turnovers in the game, leading to 39 points off turnovers.
 
The Cardinals look to continue this momentum as they face off against RIT at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the first game of the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout at Nazareth.