ALBANY, N.Y. – For the second time in the last three days, the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team defeated Russell Sage College on Sunday, 75-67, in an Empire 8 pairing inside Kahl Gymnasium.  With the win, Fisher climbed to 5-1 on the year and remained atop the Empire 8 standings at 4-0 while the Gators fell to 1-2 overall and against conference competition.

Amy Gardner finished with 20 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals while Miranda Lynch netted 15 points after sinking three from distance.  Hannah Morse notched 13 points and five assists while Kaitlyn Walker and Claire Kruszka each chipped in with nine points.

After trailing for much of the opening half, Fisher grabbed the lead on its first possession of the third quarter after Kruszka kicked it out to Lynch who drilled a 3-pointer to make it 32-30 in Fisher's favor.

The lead remained in the Cardinals' hands until the Gators orchestrated a 9-0 run to open up their largest lead of the game, 43-36.  Trailing by seven points with under four minutes to go in the quarter, Fisher cut the deficit to three, but Sage countered with six unanswered points to push the lead back up to nine, 49-40.

As the fourth period got underway, neither team was willing to give an inch as Sage clung to a 61-54 advantage with four minutes gone by.  From there, Fisher knotted things up at 62-62 following a 8-1 burst only to see Sage forge ahead by a bucket with 3:04 still showing on the clock. 

Trailing by a basket with time winding down, Fisher regrouped to the tune of a 9-0 run over the final three minutes to come out ahead, 74-67.   

As a team, Fisher was 29-for-66 from the floor and 8-for-12 from the free throw stripe.  Defensively, the Cardinals forced Sage into 24 turnovers.

The Cardinals will return to action at 7 p.m. on Tuesday when they host Nazareth College in another Empire 8 bout inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court.