PITTSFORD N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team scored 62 first half points on Friday and stayed flawless in the conference after defeating Russel Sage, 98-68, in the team's first Empire 8 road matchup. With the victory, Fisher improves to 8-3 on the year, and 2-0 in the conference, while the Gators move to 6-4 on the year, and 0-1 in the conference.
As the game tipped off, a
Brendan Trapper three-pointer gave the Cardinals an early 5-2 lead and the team never looked back as they scored a season high 62 first half points.
With just over 11 minutes to go in the first half,
Jack Foley sparked a 25-4 run with a three-pointer, giving the road team a 51-18 point advantage.
Joe Morrell also chipped in, scoring seven straight during the run, including two of his three three-pointers.
Fisher entered the half up 62-29, after a deep three-pointer by
Sean Williams to beat the shot clock with just under 30 seconds left.
The Cardinals shot an outstanding 22-39 from the field (.564) and 11-20 from behind the arc (.550) in the first half.
As the second half started, Fisher kept the momentum with a Williams steal leading to a fast break dunk from Trapper, starting a 28-9 run for the Cardinals.
Senior
Ryan Gentile helped increase the Fisher lead scoring six points during the run to help give the team a 90-38 lead with just under nine minutes to go.
The Gators ignited a late run, but the Fisher advantage was too much, allowing the Cardinals to secure the victory and earn their second Empire 8 win, 98-68.
Daniel Cook led the way scoring 19 with eight boards and two assists, while Trapper notched 15 points on 3-5 from three. Williams and Gentile each scored 13, while Morrell scored 11 on 3-5 from three.
Williams logged six assists and three steals during the contest, giving him 159 steals in his career. The lockdown guard is now just one steal away from tying the program record of 160 steals held by Chaz Lott in 2016.
As a team, Fisher ended the game with 42 points in the paint, 26 points off turnovers and 19 second half points.
The Cardinals will return to play at 4 p.m. on Saturday when they head to Oneonta to take on Hartwick College at 4 p.m. in another Empire 8 matchup.
