PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Miranda Lynch scored a season-high 20 points on Friday as the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team overcame a slow start to beat Russell Sage College, 84-61, in an Empire 8 tilt inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.  With the win, Fisher improved to 4-1 on the season and remained atop the Empire 8 standings at 3-0 while the Gators evened their record at 1-1 on the year and against conference opponents.

Lynch was 7-for-13 from the floor including three from behind the arc as the Webster native was credited with four rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes.  Amy Gardner had 14 points and three rebounds while Hannah Morse finished with 11 points and a game-high five assists.  Kaitlyn Walker added 10 points in the win while Lauren Nawojski chipped in with seven points and seven boards.  Claire Kruszka netted five points and dished out four assists.

After falling behind by 14 points with seven minutes having been played in the first quarter, Fisher shook off a slow start and bridged the first and second periods with a 12-2 run that made it a two possession game, 20-16.

The Gators would build their lead back up to six points, but the Cardinals continued to get into the paint and eventually grabbed their first lead of the game, 30-28.  With less than a minute remaining in the half, Sage buried a deep triple from the top of the key and scored on a final second shot to take a 33-30 edge into the break.

As the third quarter got underway it was clear that the break in action benefited Fisher. Trailing by three to begin the stanza, Fisher quickly turned the tides and used a 21-5 burst fueled by three 3-pointers to open up a double-digit lead, 51-38.

With time wearing down in the quarter, Sage would cut the deficit to single digits, but the Cardinals closed the period on an 8-2 run to hold a 59-44 cushion with just 10 minutes left to play.

The hot shooting carried over into the fourth as Lynch buried a triple in the early going that sparked a 10-1 spurt that extended the lead to 22 points with under six minutes showing on the clock.  From there, Sage grabbed the momentum and cut the lead down to 13 points, but the Gators ran out of gas with two minutes to play as Fisher strung together 10 unanswered points and closed the game on a 12-2 run.

Overall, the Cardinals were 29-for-58 (.615) from the floor and 18-for-23 from the charity stripe.  Fisher turned Sage over 21 times and held its opponent to just 33 percent from the field.

The Cardinals and Gators are set to play again at 2 p.m. on Sunday when Fisher travels to Albany to play on the Gators' home court inside Kahl Gymnasium.