Preview: Women's Basketball Begins Quest For Fourth Straight E8 Title Against Houghton

Chasing A Four-Peat

• The St. John Fisher women's basketball team begins its quest for a fourth straight Empire 8 title against Houghton at 2 p.m. on Saturday. 
• With another title, the Cardinals would become the first team in Empire 8 history to win four consecutive conference championships. 
• Fisher joined Ithaca as the second team in conference history to win three straight E8 titles last year. 
• The Cardinals have won four of the last five Empire 8 titles and eight overall.

Looking To Get Back On Track In The Postseason

• The Cardinals enter the postseason having lost consecutive games for the first time since their stretch of three losses in mid-November. They lost 80-75 to Russell Sage last Saturday after leading by as many as 17 and ended the regular season with a 21-point road loss (74-53) to East Avenue rival Nazareth on Tuesday. 
• The Cardinals, who’ve been one of the Empire 8’s most efficient offensive teams throughout the season, had issues taking care of the basketball in both losses. They had 21 turnovers against Sage, including 15 in the second half, and 22 turnovers against Nazareth. Sage scored 25 points off those chances, while Nazareth cashed in for 22. 
• Nazareth dominated the Cardinals in the paint on Tuesday, finishing with a 42-12 advantage in that category. 
• The Cardinals shot well below their season average (41.1%) against Nazareth (32.6%).

Tomasso With Another E8 Player of the Year Case

• Senior guard Sidney Tomasso has made a strong case to be named Empire 8 Player of the Year for a second straight season. She leads the Empire 8 in scoring (19.5 points per game) and ranks second in rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game), 3-point shooting percentage (36.7%) and free-throw percentage (86.2%). 
• Tomasso has 11 double-doubles in 24 games this season and 15 for her collegiate career. Eight of those double-doubles have come against Empire 8 opponents. 
• Tomasso has scored 20 or more points in 11 games and at least 15 in 21 games.
• Tomasso had the best performance of her collegiate career in a 70-67 victory over SUNY Brockport on Feb. 8, as she scored 32 points and collected 17 rebounds. Her 32 points marked the ninth-most in a single game in St. John Fisher history, while her 17 boards marked the sixth-most by a Fisher player in a game. 
• She shot 10 of 21 overall, 4 of 10 from three and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line in that game. She tied her season high for 3-pointers made.
• Tomasso, one of the best players in Fisher women's basketball history, ranks second in program history in free throw percentage, fourth in points scored, fifth in 3-pointers made and fifth in total field goals made.

Katie Moravec Stuffing The Stat Sheet

• Senior guard Katie Moravec has her name scattered across the top of Fisher’s stat sheet, as she leads the team in assists (105) and steals (50) and ranks second in scoring (16.6 points per game) and rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game). 
• Moravec has tallied four or more assists in 17 of the Cardinals’ 25 games, including a career-high eight twice. She’s recorded four or more steals in five contests. 
• Moravec tied her career-high with six steals in a victory over SUNY Poly on Jan. 10. 
• This marks the third straight season in which Moravec has amassed more than 50 steals. She had a career-high 72 in 2022-23.

Last Time Against Houghton

• Moravec scored a career-high 33 points to lead St. John Fisher over Houghton 81-62 back on Jan. 14. She shot 12-23 from the field (2 of 3 from 3-point range) and made all seven of her free-throw attempts. She also led the Cardinals in rebounds (9) and assists (6) as part of her best collegiate performance. 
• Moravec's 33 points marked the most by a St. John Fisher player since Mary Kate Cusack had 41 against Ithaca in February 2015. 
• Tomasso had 16 points, while Hannah Ferguson contributed 11. Ferguson shot 4 of 7 overall and knocked down a career-best three triples. 

St. John Fisher vs. Houghton History

• The Cardinals own a 21-4 record against Houghton since 2013 and have won seven of the last eight games in the series. 
• The Cardinals beat Houghton by 11, 66-55, in the Empire 8 title game last February. Tomasso led Fisher with 21 points in that game.

About The Highlanders

• Houghton finished the regular season 17-8 overall and 8-8 in the Empire 8.
• The Highlanders have allowed the fewest points per game (51.6) in the Empire 8 this season. Their opponents have shot just 32% from the field.
• Senior guard Kayla Camacho leads Houghton and ranks fourth in the Empire 8 in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. She’s shooting 40% overall and nearly 35% from three. 
• Camacho also leads the Highlanders in rebounds (166) and steals (45). She’s blocked the second-most shots on the team (21). 
• Sophomore forward Tabitha DeVries is second on the team in scoring (12.4 points per game) and tied for the team lead in rebounds (166). She has a team-high 22 blocks. 
• DeVries led Houghton with 26 points against Fisher on Jan. 14. 
• Junior guard Crysta LaCrosse ranks second in the Empire 8 in assists (125).

2024-25 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – SUNY Brockport (15-1 E8, 22-3 Overall)
No. 2 – SUNY Geneseo (14-2 E8, 19-6 Overall)
No. 3 – St. John Fisher (13-3 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 4 – Nazareth (13-3, E8, 19-6 Overall)
No. 5 – Russell Sage (9-7 E8, 11-14 Overall)
No. 6 – Houghton (8-8 E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 7 – Alfred (7-9 E8, 13-12 Overall
No. 8 – Elmira (6-10 E8, 12-13 Overall)

2024-25 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Schedule

Saturday, February 22 – Quarterfinals
No. 8 Elmira at No. 1 SUNY Brockport – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 7 Alfred at No. 2 SUNY Geneseo – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 6 Houghton at No. 3 St. John Fisher – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 5 Russell Sage at No. 4 Nazareth – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Wednesday, February 26 - Semifinals 
Winner of No. 1 SUNY Brockport/No. 8 Elmira vs. Winner of No. 4 Nazareth/No. 5 Russell Sage – TBA (at higher seed) – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Winner of No. 2 SUNY Geneseo/No. 7 Alfred vs. Winner of No. 3 St. John Fisher/No. 6 Houghton – TBA (at higher seed) – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Saturday, March 1 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 -– TBA (at highest remaining seed) – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12