PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Freshman guard Mekhi Gidney posted a season-high 21 points as the St. John Fisher men's basketball team (5-5, 1-0 E8) defeated Alfred University (3-8, 0-2 E8), 67-49, in its Empire 8 Conference opener on Tuesday night at the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.

The Cardinals never trailed in the wire-to-wire victory, holding the Saxons to 15-for-40 shooting while shooting 28-for-58 (8-for-18 3PT). Fisher scored 31 points off forced 19 turnovers.

Gidney shot 9-for-12 from the field (3-for-4 3PT). Sophomore forward Maximus Michalski added 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Freshman guard Giovanni Schillaci tallied 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting (3-for-4 3PT). 

How It Happened

The Cardinals opened the game with a full-court press that forced five Saxon turnovers and sparked a 10-2 run. Gidney contributed seven of those points, while junior guard Jonathan McCaffrey capped the surge off with a ferocious fast-break slam dunk before an Alfred timeout at 17:01. Fisher continued its hot start out of the break, extending its lead to 20-4 over the next five minutes behind five points from Michalski. 

Alfred eclipsed 10 points and cut its deficit to 27-10 after a pair of free throws, before Schillaci drilled a three-pointer the ensuing play to bring the Cardinal's edge to 20. Gidney finished two straight layups the following two Fisher possessions to grow the margin to 34-12 with 4:38 to go. 

A triple from sophomore guard Alex Hayes would later bring the Cardinal's advantage to 27 points, 39-12, their largest lead of the half. Alfred answered with a three of its own to cut the lead to 39-15 heading into halftime.

Gidney led all scorers with 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting at the break. The Cardinals shot 16-for-28 from the field and held the Saxons to 4-for-17 shooting in the first half, forcing 13 turnovers and scoring 24 points off those turnovers. 

The Saxons sparked an 8-2 run to begin the second half, trimming the gap to 41-23 through two minutes. Both teams traded scores over the next four minutes until Gidney canned a three-pointer to bring the lead back over 20, 50-28. Alfred responded with five straight points to close its deficit to 50-33 with 11:41 remaining. 

Alfred never threatened any closer, with the Cardinals answering each of its scores over the next eight minutes. A Saxon layup shaved Fisher's lead again to 17, 60-43, with 2:55 remaining in the game, but a third three-pointer from Gidney pushed the edge back to 20, 63-43. Gidney surpassed 20 points on the night with a jumper in the closing minutes, and the Cardinals ultimately took the victory, 67-49. 

Game Notes

• Alfred's 37.5% shooting from the field is the second-lowest shooting percentage Fisher has held an opponent to this season. 

• Kayes finished with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting off the bench. 

• Michalski has scored in double figures seven times in 10 games this season. 

• Senior guard Max Schneider dished a career-high seven assists. 

Up Next

The Cardinals suit up on Jan. 10 to take on SUNY Brockport at the Jim and John Vlogiantis Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.