PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher women's basketball team ended the regular season with a 66-51 loss to Nazareth in the Battle of the Beaks on Tuesday night at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym. 

The Cardinals (12-13, 9-7 Empire 8) gave the Empire 8 Conference regular-season champions all they could handle for the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth, when the Golden Flyers (21-4, 15-1 Empire 8) outscored them 18-8. Fisher endured a scoring drought that lasted nearly eight minutes in the frame.

Fisher has the No. 6 seed for the E8 postseason tournament, which begins on Saturday, and will hit the road for a matchup against No. 3-seeded Houghton. The Cardinals beat the Highlanders 63-62 in Houghton back on Jan. 13. 

Freshman guard Natalie Mai led the Cardinals with 16 points while shooting 6-of-9 overall, including 3-of-4 from three, against the Golden Flyers. Senior guard Presleigh Brunner had 12 points to go with seven rebounds, tied with fellow senior guards Julia Perales and Hannah Ferguson for the team lead. 

Forward Molly Benetti scored a game-high 20 points for Nazareth, which outscored Fisher 38-18 in the paint and scored 26 points off 23 turnovers. Guard Kiara Anglin posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. 

How It Happened 

The Cardinals shot 5-of-15 and committed six turnovers in the first quarter but still only trailed by six, 16-10, to start the second frame, which included multiple lead changes. Fisher provided the first one with a 12-3 run to take a 24-23 lead behind five points from Brunner, three from Mai and two apiece from Ferguson and freshman forward Brianna Heidt. 

Four quick points put Nazareth ahead 27-24, but the Cardinals swung the scoreboard again soon after. Ferguson made a three-pointer to tie the game, and junior forward Alexa Gibson made a contested layup in the paint to put the Cardinals in front by two, 29-27. 

Leah Fusilli knocked down a jumper to even the score once more before Benetti made it 31-29 with a layup right after a Fisher turnover. Those baskets were part of a 7-0 run that sent Nazareth into halftime leading by five, 39-24. 

Nazareth extended its lead to eight three times in the third quarter, but the Cardinals answered each time to keep the game within reach. Brunner and Mai each scored five points in the frame on 2-of-2 shooting, including 1-of-1 from three. 

Mai scored six more points early in the fourth quarter to keep the Cardinals afloat a little longer, pulling them within two scores on her third 3-pointer of the contest about two minutes in. 

Fisher didn't score again until there were 12 seconds left in the game. 

The Golden Flyers churned out an 11-0 run during Fisher's scoreless stretch, with four points coming from Benetti and three from Anglin, to close out the victory. The Cardinals shot 0-for-9 and gave the ball away seven times after Mai's 3-pointer with 8:22 left. 

Game Notes

• Mai has scored 10 points or more off the bench in each of the Cardinals' last three games. She's shooting 8-of-15 from three (53%) in that stretch. 

• Nazareth's three-game winning streak over Fisher marks its first in the series since the late 1990s/early 2000s. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face Houghton at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament.