PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's basketball team remained unbeaten on the year after dispatching of the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers on Thursday night, 65-57, to begin the fifth annual Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court. With the victory, the Cardinals, who are receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, improved to 3-0 while their crosstown guest finished the night at 0-1.
After a back-and-forth opening half that saw the Tigers hold a one-point edge at halftime, the Cardinals looked to set the tempo in the third quarter as
Claire Kruszka scored seven straight points for Fisher to push the home team ahead, 37-33.
As the quarter wore on, RIT would counter on the other end of the floor with five of the game's next six points, but Fisher regained control and used a 12-1 burst to open up a double-digit lead, 50-39, with just under three minutes to go before the fourth.
With 10 minutes to go and the Cardinals holding a 10-point cushion, the Tigers were never able to get over the hump as Fisher's advantage grew to as many as 13 points following a 3-pointer by
Sidney Tomasso. From there, RIT looked to chip away and cut the deficit to eight points, only to see Fisher regroup as the final horn sounded.
In all, three players finished in double figures in scoring led by Kruszka who netted 14 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Miranda Lynch finished with 13 points and eight boards while
Leah Koonmen provided a spark off the bench with 13 points and six rebounds. Tomasso and
Kaitlyn Walker each contributed seven points in the win while
Anna Milham produced five points over 14 minutes.
As a team, Fisher was 23-for-68 (.338) from the floor and buried 11 of its 14 free throw chances. The Cardinals held a significant rebounding advantage, 49-38, and forced the Tigers in to 22 turnovers.
The Cardinals will go for their fourth win in a row at 8 p.m. on Saturday when they host the University of Rochester to close out the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout.
