PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Three St. John Fisher women's basketball players scored more than 15 points to lead the Cardinals to a 71-56 victory over SUNY Poly on Friday night inside Manning & Napier Varsity Gym. 

The Cardinals improved to 9-10 overall and 6-4 in the Empire 8 Conference with the victory, while SUNY Poly dropped to 5-13 overall and 2-8 against E8 opposition. 

Senior guard Presleigh Brunner led the Cardinals with 21 points while shooting 8-of-14 overall, including 3-of-4 from three, and making both of her foul shots. Senior guard Hannah Ferguson shot 8-of-16 from the field (1-of-4 from three) and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line on her way to 20 points, and sophomore guard Valerosa Gambitta scored a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting (2-of-2 from three). Gambitta also led Fisher with seven rebounds and dished out four assists. 

Alysa Jackson scored 17 points to lead the Wildcats, while Kayla Wilson had 16. Sanaa Lee led Poly with a game-high 11 rebounds. 

How It Happened 

The Cardinals throttled the Wildcats in the opening quarter, scoring 12 points off nine turnovers while building a 17-4 lead. Gambitta had six points in the first 10 minutes of action, while Ferguson had five. 

SUNY Poly, which shot 1-of-11 from the field in the first quarter, continued lacking any offensive flow early in the second quarter as Fisher pushed its advantage to a game-high 23 points, 33-10. The Wildcats finally started to get some shots to fall in the last three minutes of the quarter, which they ended on a 9-0 run that trimmed Fisher's lead to 14, 33-19. 

Gambitta scored 12 of her 16 total points in the first half, during which the Cardinals shot 54.8% (17-of-31) from the field.

The Cardinals opened the second half on a 10-2 run to get their lead back over 20 points, 43-21. They led by 19 at the end of the third quarter and maintained a 15- to 20-point edge the rest of the way. 

Brunner shot 5-of-8, including 3-of-3 from three, while scoring 15 points in the second half. Ferguson scored 13 of her 20 on 5-of-7 shooting over the third and fourth quarters. 

Game Notes

• The Cardinals posted their third-highest shooting percentage of the season (47.5). 

• Brunner has scored 20 or more points in five games this season, including three times in conference play. 

• Ferguson has scored in double figures in 10 of the Cardinals' last 11 games. Her eight field goals made against Poly marked a career high. 

• Senior guard Julia Perales led the Cardinals with six assists. She also pulled down five rebounds.

• Junior forward Danielle Seamon had a career-high five assists and grabbed five rebounds. 

• The Cardinals scored 20 points off turnovers and finished with an 18-2 advantage in fast-break points. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face Utica at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.