ALFRED, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Payton O'Dell scored a career-high 17 points and went 7-of-7 at the free-throw line as the St. John Fisher women's basketball team held off Alfred State, 63-56, on Tuesday night inside the Orvis Activities Center for its first win of the season. The Cardinals improved to 1-2 with the win.
How It Happened
Alfred State scored the first four points of the game before Fisher answered. After the Pioneers tied it at 6-6, the Cardinals took control with a 9-0 run. Sophomore forward Madeline Broderick started it with a tip-in, and freshman guard Maggie Miller followed with a 3-pointer. O'Dell added a putback, and junior guard Valerosa Gambitta finished a fast-break layup to make it 15-6 with 2:26 left. Fisher led 17-10 after one.
Freshman guard Morgan Cicek's 3-pointer at the 7:02 mark of the second quarter stretched the lead to 20-10. The Cardinals then went cold, making just two field goals in the quarter, and Alfred State closed the half on a 10-3 run. A Mallory Sprissler 3-pointer at the buzzer cut Fisher's lead to 23-20 at the break.
Fisher pulled away again in the third quarter. Senior forward Danielle Seamon and O'Dell scored the Cardinals' first nine points of the second half. O'Dell had six points in a 1:32 span, capped by back-to-back layups, to make it 32-23 at 7:17. Her two free throws with 1:46 left made it 39-29, and Fisher took a 39-31 lead into the fourth after winning the quarter 16-11.
Alfred State opened the fourth with five straight points to get within 40-36, but Gambitta and Seamon answered with back-to-back layups. O'Dell converted a fast-break layup and a free throw. Gambitta then scored on another fast break with 4:14 left, giving Fisher its largest lead of the night at 55-44.
The Pioneers answered with seven straight points to pull within 55-51 at 2:14. They got as close as 58-56 on Alyssa Auer's 3-pointer with 26 seconds left, but Fisher closed it out at the line. Gambitta made two free throws at 0:21 to push the lead back to four, and Miller and O'Dell went 3-of-4 in the final 13 seconds to seal it. The Cardinals scored their final eight points at the line, going 8-of-10 over the final 1:41.
O'Dell finished 5-of-10 from the field with nine rebounds in 22 minutes. Seamon added 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Gambitta had 12 points, a team-high five assists, three steals and two blocks. Broderick grabbed nine rebounds off the bench, five of them offensive. Miller had six points, six rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes.
Sprissler led Alfred State with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Game Notes
- Fisher outrebounded Alfred State 46-38, including 20 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points.
- The Cardinals outscored the Pioneers 14-0 in fast-break points, with 12 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
- Fisher went 19-of-29 at the free-throw line, including 12-of-15 in the fourth quarter. Alfred State attempted 15 free throws all game.
- The Cardinals forced 18 turnovers and scored 13 points off them.
- Fisher held a 32-26 edge in the paint.
- Fisher led for the final 34:52 of the game.
Up Next
The Cardinals are back on the court Thursday, Nov. 19, against host Rochester at 5:30 p.m. in the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout.
