NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Senior guard Presleigh Brunner dropped a team-high 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the St. John Fisher women's basketball team (3-6) fended off a second-half comeback to defeat Husson University (4-5), 63-56, in its final game of the Smith Holiday Tournament at the Ainsworth Gymnasium Wednesday evening.

The Cardinals led by as many as 17 points before the Eagles tied the game up with 8:12 remaining in the contest. Brunner scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win for Fisher, shooting 8-for-18 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line overall. 

Senior guard Hannah Ferguson finished with a career-high 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Valerosa Gambitta chipped in a career-high 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting. 

How It Happened

Ferguson logged the Cardinals' first six points, helping build an early 8-4 lead in the first quarter before a Husson timeout. Fisher outscored the Eagles 10-8 the rest of the period behind eight points from Brunner to take an 18-12 edge after one. 

The Cardinals grew their lead to 31-16 in the second quarter following a 13-4 run rounded off by a triple from freshmen guard Natalie Mai. Fisher shot 5-for-7 from the field and held Husson to 1-for-6 shooting during that stretch. The Eagles answered back with a 10-2 push to cut their deficit to 33-26 at halftime. 

Fisher recorded six steals, forced 13 turnovers and limited Husson to 0-for-9 shooting from deep in the first half. Ferguson led the Cardinals with 10 points at the break. 

Both teams traded scores through the first seven minutes of the second half, with Brunner tallying six more points to keep Fisher ahead by seven. In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Husson tied the game at 41-41 through a 7-0 spurt, before a layup from junior guard Danielle Seamon with 6 seconds remaining sent the Cardinals into the final frame up 43-41. 

The Eagles tied up the game again twice in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, but a 12-2 surge from the Cardinals, fueled by eight points from Brunner, gave them a 58-48 advantage with 1:04 remaining. Fisher went 4-for-5 from the charity stripe in the final minute to seal the victory, 63-56. 

Husson's Lilly Roy led all scorers with 29 points on 11-for-22 shooting.

Game Notes

• Brunner recorded her second 20-point game of the season, following a career-high 26-point outing against Ithaca on Nov. 11. 

• Ferguson has grabbed five or more rebounds in five games this season. 

• Mai totaled seven points while Seamon recorded six points and four assists. 

• Fisher forced a season-high 23 turnovers and scored 21 points off turnovers. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face Alfred University on Tuesday, Jan. 6, in their Empire 8 Conference opener at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.