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St. John Fisher University Athletics

CW
86
Winner SUNY Poly SUNY POL 7-4, 2-0
85
St. John Fisher ST. JOHN 4-7, 0-2
Winner
SUNY Poly SUNY POL
7-4, 2-0
86
Final
85
St. John Fisher ST. JOHN
4-7, 0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
SUNY Poly SUNY POL 41 35 10 86
St. John Fisher ST. JOHN 45 31 9 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Williams Scores Career-High 36 Points But Men's Basketball Comes Up Short Against Poly

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Senior forward Connor Williams did all he could to will the St. John Fisher men's basketball team to its first Empire 8 victory of the season, but the Cardinals came up short in overtime on Friday night at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym, falling 86-85 to the SUNY Poly Wildcats. 

The Cardinals dropped to 4-7 overall (0-2 Empire 8) and lost their second consecutive game. SUNY Poly improved to 7-4 (2-0 Empire 8) and earned its first-ever victory over Fisher, which won the first three meetings in the series. 

Williams scored a career-high 36 points while shooting 14 of 19 overall (0 fo 2 from three) and 8 of 13 from the foul line. He also pulled down seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end.

How It Happened

  • The Cardinals, after trailing for most of the first half, led by four, 45-41, at halftime. Fisher used a 16-8 run to take that lead behind six points apiece from Williams and sophomore guard Giovanni Schillaci, who made a pair of 3-point shots off the bench. 

  • Fisher pushed its lead to a game-high nine points (54-45) with a 9-4 run early in the second half. Williams scored six of the Cardinals' points in that stretch. 

  • SUNY Poly knocked down three straight 3-point shots – Daimarr Miller made two of those shots — to cut Fisher's lead to one, 61-60, with just more than nine minutes to play. Guard LaMarqus Merchant tied the game at 62 with a layup about a minute later. 

  • Williams scored four of the Cardinals' next six points as part of a 6-0 run that gave Fisher a 68-62 lead with five minutes remaining. The Cardinals also led by six points with just under three minutes left after senior forward Eric Kegler made a mid-range jump shot. 

  • Once again, though, the Wildcats hung around, as Cheickne Toure started a quick 8-4 run with a 3-pointer that cut Fisher's lead in half. Anthony Rose made one of his two foul shots with 30 seconds remaining to tie the game at 76 and force overtime. 

  • The Wildcats shot 3 of 4 from 3-point range in overtime, while the Cardinals went 0 of 6 from the field. They scraped together all nine of their points in the extra period from the foul line. 

Game Notes

  • Williams' 36 points marked the most by a Fisher player since Daniel Cook had 38 against Alfred in January 2023. Williams scored 15 points in the first half and 21 in the second half and overtime. 

  • Toure led Poly with 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting (5 of 10 from three). He shot 5 of 7 from the foul line. 

  • Merchant scored 20 while shooting 7 of 10 overall, 2 of 3 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the line. Daimarr Miller finished with 15 points. 

  • Only one other Fisher player – senior guard Cole Thompson (11 points) – scored in double figures. The Cardinals' reserves contributed 19 points, with Schillaci pitching in a career-best nine. He shot 3 of 6 from 3-point range. 

  • SUNY Poly made nearly 80% of its attempts (19 of 24) from the free-throw line, while the Cardinals (18 of 26, 69.2%) finished below 70% for the seventh time this season. 

  • Sophomore Jonathan McCaffrey led the Cardinals and set a career-high with eight rebounds off the bench. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face Utica at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym.


 
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