PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College women's basketball team shook off a slow start on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten on the season as the Cardinals upended visiting Alfred University, 69-58, in their Empire 8 debut inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court. With the win, Fisher, which moved up two spots to 19 in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, improved to 9-0 on the year and 1-0 in the conference standings while the Saxons fell to 5-5 overall and 0-1 against conference opposition.
After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half following seven Alfred 3-pointers, Fisher found its footing in the third quarter and used a 14-3 run including 10 unanswered points to pull to within two, 40-38, with just over five minutes still showing on the clock.
Trailing by one possession with momentum on its side, Fisher saw the Saxons extend their lead to as many as six points before head coach
Melissa Kuberka's team closed out the period with seven straight points to claim its first lead of the game, 50-49, with the fourth quarter looming.
With just 10 minutes remaining before the final horn, the Cardinals began to afford themselves some breathing room as a 3-pointer from
Claire Kruszka ignited a 17-4 burst fueled by five points from
Sidney Tomasso to open up a double-digit lead, 67-53, with under 90 seconds left in the contest.
Kaitlyn Walker led the way for Fisher with a career-high 26 points to go along with 18 rebounds. The junior was 7-for-15 from the floor and added two blocked shots in the win.
Katie Moravec produced 10 points and three rebounds off the bench while Kruszka finished with nine points, five rebounds and five assists over 29 minutes.
Leah Koonmen netted nine points of her own in the win while
Emily McLaughlin chipped in with five points.
As a team, Fisher was 20-of-62 in the game and buried 24 of its 29 free throw attempts. The Cardinals enjoyed a significant advantage on the glass after out-rebounding Alfred, 55-36.
The Cardinals are scheduled to return to play at 5:30 p.m. on Friday when they travel to Troy to take on the Russell Sage Gators in an Empire 8 contest.
