Men's Basketball | 2/16/2024 10:34:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University men's basketball team ends the regular season this Saturday at 4:00 with one of the most anticipated games of this and every season: the "Battle of the Beaks" against the Nazareth University Golden Flyers.
 
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Last Time Out
The Cardinals went on the road last Saturday and beat the Houghton Highlanders, 98-87. Fifth-year forward Daniel Cook led the way with a 28 point, 18 rebound double-double. He wasn't the only Cardinal with a double-double: junior forward Connor Williams had a career night with 16 points and 14 rebounds. 
 
Know Your Foe
Separated by less than two miles, St. John Fisher and Nazareth have been natural rivals ever since both schools went co-ed in the 1970s. Since their first matchups in the 1978-79 season, Fisher leads the all-time rivalry, 68-39, and is 26-20 since 2006.
 
The Cardinals will be looking to avenge a loss to Nazareth earlier this season: the Golden Flyers beat Fisher, 79-66, on Jan. 20. 
 
Logan Blankenberg leads the Flyers offensively, averaging 17.5 points per game- fifth best in the conference. He's also a threat from three-point range: his .456 (52-of-112) three-point percentage is the best in the Empire 8. 
 
Fun fact: Nazareth is the alma mater of former NBA coach and broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy. 

Road Wrap-Up
Fisher finished its regular season road schedule with a 7-5 mark, 8-6 if counting neutral-site games. 
 
Giving an Assist
Sophomore guard Brendan McRoy leads the Cardinals in assists, with 81. His 3.4 assists per game rate is the fourth-best in the Empire 8, just ahead of his teammate Cook (3.1). 
 
Player to Watch
Sophomore guard Max Schneider made noise in Fisher's last game with Nazareth, scoring a season-high 11 points (behind only McRoy's 19 for Cardinals that night) in the January faceoff. The Williamsville native also had a steal and an assist. Another good performance on Saturday could go a long way as the Cardinals look to end the regular season on a winning note. 
 
Up Next
Regardless of this weekend's game against Nazareth, the Cardinals have already clinched the third seed of the Empire 8 tournament and cannot move up or down in the standings. They will host the conference No. 6 seed next Tuesday at Manning & Napier Varsity Gymnasium, gametime and opponent to be announced. 
 
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