NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The St. John Fisher's women's basketball team (2-6) fell 61-53 to The College of New Jersey (4-7) in its first game of the Smith Holiday Tournament on Tuesday night at the Ainsworth Gymnasium.  

The Cardinals held an eight-point advantage at halftime, but were outscored 31-15 by the Lions in the second half.  

Freshman guard Natalie Mai led Fisher with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting (2-for-4 from three). Senior guard Presleigh Brunner logged 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior guard Hannah Ferguson notched 9 points on 4-8 shooting (1-for-3 from three).  

How It Happened 

Fisher began the game on a 10-3 run behind seven points from Ferguson and a triple from senior guard Julia Perales. The Lions roared back to tie the contest, 13-13. Both teams traded scores until Mai nailed a last-second three-pointer to end the first quarter, giving Fisher a 20-18 edge.  

The Cardinals opened the second frame with a 15-7 surge, capped off by an and-one lay-in from freshman guard Madeline Broderick, to take a 35-25 lead. TCNJ cut the deficit to 35-30, but junior forward Danielle Seamon canned another last-second three-pointer to put Fisher ahead at half, 38-30.  

Mai led all scorers with 10 points and the Cardinals limited the Lions to 31.3% shooting through 20 minutes.  

The Lions stumped Fisher's offense in the third quarter, holding the Cardinals to five points on 2-for-13 shooting while posting 13 points, to tie the game up at 43. 

TCNJ continued its momentum into the final period, building a 53-47 lead following a Katie Fricker layup. Fisher clawed back, trimming its deficit to 54-53 with 2:08 to go, behind scores from Broderick and Mai and a pair of free throws from Brunner.  

Ultimately, the Lions fended off the push, tallying seven points and holding Fisher scoreless in the final two minutes to take the victory, 61-53.  

Myah Hourigan-Hutton led TCNJ with a game-high 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Izzy Augustine added 9 points. Fricker and Amanda Baylock chipped in 8 points.  

Game Notes

• Brunner reached double-figure scoring for a sixth straight game and the seventh time in eight games.  

• Perales contributed six points, two assists and five rebounds in a season-high 37 minutes.  

• Broderick made her collegiate debut, scoring five points and snagging three rebounds in 17 minutes of action.  

 Up Next 

The Cardinals play again on Wednesday, Dec. 31, against Husson University at 2 p.m. to finish the Smith Holiday Tournament.