KEUKA PARK, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher women's basketball team rode a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to a 67-49 victory over Keuka College on Saturday at the JMW Recreation and Athletics Center. 

Already locked into a spot for the upcoming Empire 8 Conference postseason tournament, the Cardinals improved to 12-12 overall and 9-6 in league play with the victory. Keuka dropped to 9-14 and 4-11, respectively, and saw its chances of reaching the E8 tournament diminish with just one regular-season game remaining.

The Cardinals got 11 points from senior guard Presleigh Brunner and 10 apiece from sophomore guard Valerosa Gambitta and freshman guard Natalie Mai, who provided that production off the bench. Junior forward Danielle Seamon scored nine points, while senior guard Julia Perales added eight. Senior guard Hannah Ferguson and junior forward Alexa Gibson contributed seven points each.

Fisher held Keuka to 31 points through the first three quarters. The Wolves shot 19-of-68 (27.9%) overall, including 6-of-25 (24%) from three, for the game. 

How It Happened

Brunner scored 10 of her 11 points for the game in the first quarter, during which the teams traded slim leads before the Cardinals built an 18-11 lead with a 10-2 run that covered the final 4:11 of the frame. Mai scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, while Ferguson added five as the Cardinals outscored Keuka 21-13 in the second quarter to take a 15-point lead, 39-24, into halftime. 

The Cardinals continued running away from the Wolves in the third quarter, opening on a 13-2 run that swelled their advantage to 26, 52-26. Perales knocked down a pair of triples for six points in the frame, and the Cardinals held Keuka to just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting (1-of-4 from three). 

Fisher began the fourth quarter on a 7-0 surge that pushed its advantage to a game-high 31 points. Freshman forward Payton O'Dell scored all five of her points for the game while shooting 3-of-4 from the foul line and 1-of-1 from the field in the quarter.

Game Notes

•  Gambitta and Brunner each led the Cardinals with eight rebounds. 

• Gambitta led Fisher with four assists.

• Mai and Perales combined for four of Fisher's five made 3-pointers (two apiece). 

• The Cardinals finished with a significant advantage at the free-throw line, making 14-of-17 attempts compared to Keuka's 5-of-6. Gambitta went 4-of-4, while Brunner, Gibson and O'Dell each shot 3-of-4. 

Up Next

The Cardinals conclude the regular season against East Avenue rival Nazareth in the Battle of the Beaks at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.