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St. John Fisher University Athletics

MBB
56
Penn St.-Behrend PENN ST. 5-5, 1-1
58
Winner St. John Fisher ST. JOHN 3-5, 0-0
Penn St.-Behrend PENN ST.
5-5, 1-1
56
Final
58
St. John Fisher ST. JOHN
3-5, 0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Penn St.-Behrend PENN ST. 22 34 56
St. John Fisher ST. JOHN 30 28 58

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Holds On For 58-56 Victory Over Penn State Behrend

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher men's basketball team made a handful of key plays late as it held on to beat Penn State Behrend 58-56 in the opening game of the Woodcliff Hotel & Spa Tournament on Sunday evening at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. 

The Cardinals, who played their first game since Dec. 7, improved to 3-5 overall with the victory. Penn State Behrend dropped to 5-5 with its fourth loss in six games. 

How It Happened 

  • The Cardinals led 14-7 through the first six minutes of the first half after layups by senior guard Cole Thompson and freshman forward Maximus Michalski. Penn State Behrend quickly trimmed its deficit to one (16-15) on a 3-pointer by Tommy Dirienzo and a layup by Nate Edwards. 

  • The Cardinals outscored the Lions 14-7 the rest of the first half en route to a 30-22 halftime lead. Senior forward Connor Williams led the Cardinals with six points in the first 20 minutes, while junior guard Max Schneider chipped in six. Senior guard Cole Thompson and senior forward Eric Kegler had four points apiece. 

  • Williams, Kegler and junior forward Louis Fay made layups as part of a 6-3 run that pushed the Cardinals' lead to a game-high 11 points (36-25) early in the second half. 

  • While the Cardinals led almost the entire half, the Lions kept the game within reach and eventually pulled even. They went on an 8-2 run over about two minutes and tied the game at 53 on Sam Petrarca's layup with 2:07 remaining in the contest. 

  • Thompson made the play of the game out of a timeout, making a layup through contact to put the Cardinals back in front. He completed the 3-point play at the free-throw line to give Fisher a 56-53 lead. 

  • With time expiring, Michalski blocked Dirienzo's game-winning 3-point attempt to secure the victory. 

Fisher Notes

  • Williams led the Cardinals with 13 points while shooting 4 of 11 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down 10 rebounds as part of his second double-double this season and the third of his career. 

  • Michalski scored six points while shooting 3 of 3 from the field and blocked a season-high three shots. 

  • Schneider shot 3 of 7 overall, 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line while scoring 10 points. He also amassed five rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

  • The Cardinals outscored the Lions by 24 (40-16) in the paint. They also finished with an 18-13 edge in bench points. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face RPI (9-0) at 3 p.m. on Monday to conclude the Woodcliff Hotel & Spa Tournament. RPI beat SUNY Canton 62-48 in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. 

  • The Cardinals are 3-1 all-time against RPI. 

  • Monday's contest will mark the first meeting between the teams since Dec. 30, 2017. Fisher won that game, 76-75.

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