Women's Basketball Set For E8 Postseason Matchup Against Houghton

How They Got Here

St. John Fisher: While the Cardinals struggled against teams in the top half of the Empire 8 standings during the regular season – they went 1-6 combined against Nazareth, Geneseo, Brockport and Houghton – they still found a way to string enough wins together to reach the postseason tournament for the 19th year in a row. Fisher finished 12-13 overall and 9-7 in E8 play, claiming the No. 6 seed for the conference championship. 

Houghton: The Highlanders lost four of their first seven Empire 8 regular-season games this season before winning eight of their next nine in conference and nine of 10 overall. They finished 20-5 overall and 11-5 in league play to secure the No. 3 seed for the E8 Tournament. 

St. John Fisher vs. Geneseo History

Series Snapshot: The Cardinals are 40-6 all-time against Houghton and have won four straight meetings since a 65-58 regular-season loss two seasons ago. 

Postseason Meetings: Saturday’s contest will mark the third E8 postseason matchup between Fisher and Houghton. The Cardinals beat Houghton 72-55 in the first round of last year’s tournament and 66-55 in the 2024 title game. 

Last Meeting: Senior guard Hannah Ferguson swished a game-winning 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in regulation to lift St. John Fisher to a 63-62 road victory over Houghton on Jan. 13. 

Ferguson and fellow senior guard Presleigh Brunner each scored 14 points to lead the Cardinals, who struggled offensively for much of the game, shooting 34.5% overall (20-of-58) and 18.8% from three (3-of-16). Senior guard Julia Perales chipped in nine points, while junior forward Danielle Seamon, sophomore guard Valerosa Gambitta and freshman guard Natalie Mai added six apiece. Ferguson and Perales each had eight rebounds; Brunner grabbed seven. 

The Highlanders had a similarly difficult shooting performance, going 34.3% overall (24-of-70) and 24.2% from three (8-of-33). Tabitha DeVries scored a game-high 17 points, and Crysta Lacrosse and Hannah Farley each had 13 points.

Matchup Notes

• Houghton has been the best 3-point shooting team in the E8 this season. The Highlanders lead the conference in 3-point percentage (33.3%) and made 3-pointers (247). 
• Houghton is averaging 78.2 points per game, the top mark in the Empire 8 entering the postseason. 
• The Cardinals have the fourth-highest shooting percentage in the conference at 38%. 
• Houghton has committed the fewest turnovers (306) in the conference and has the best margin (+9.24).

St. John Fisher Players To Watch

Presleigh Brunner (St. John Fisher, Sr., G) – Brunner ranks sixth in the Empire 8 in scoring, averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game... She’s shooting 38.6% from the field and a team-best 81.7% from the foul line… Brunner also ranks second on the team in rebounds with 143 on the year (5.7 per game)... Brunner has scored in double figures in all but six of Fisher’s 25 contests… She has scored 20 or more points in six games, including a career-high 26 in the season-opener against Ithaca… Brunner surpassed 1,000 career points in a 60-47 win over Hartwick in January… She currently stands 19th in program history in points scored (1,115). 

Hannah Ferguson (St. John Fisher, Sr., G) – Ferguson has been Fisher’s most efficient shooter this season, as she enters postseason play shooting 45.9% overall, including 34.3% from three… Ferguson is averaging a career-high 11.8 points per contest… She leads the team in rebounding with 152 total (6.1 per game).

Natalie Mai (St. John Fisher, Fr., G) – Mai, who has been named Empire 8 Rookie of the Week three times this season, has scored 10 points or more in four straight games entering the playoffs, including 16 against rival Nazareth on Tuesday while shooting 6-of-9 overall and 3-of-4 from three… Mai is shooting 8-of-15 from three (53%) over the last three games… She’s tied with Ferguson for the most made 3-pointers on the team (35)... Mai leads Fisher in 3-point shooting percentage (38.5%).

Empire 8 Tournament Central 

The 2025-26 Empire 8 Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament will feature the conference's top eight teams from regular season play. First round/quarterfinal action will feature the No. 1 seed hosting the No. 8 seed, No. 2 seed hosting the No. 7 seed, No. 3 seed hosting the No. 6 seed and No. 4 seed hosting the No. 5 seed on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The winner of the No. 1 and No. 8 game will take on the winner of the No. 4 and No. 5 game in one semifinal and the winner of the No. 2 and No. 7 game will take on the winner of the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the second semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with both games played at the higher seed.

The two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the highest remaining seed in the E8 Championship. The Empire 8 Champion will earn an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.

Site: Higher Seeds for all games

2025-26 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – Nazareth (15-1 E8, 21-4 Overall)
No. 2 – SUNY Brockport (14-2 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 3 – Houghton (11-5 E8, 20-5 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Geneseo (11-5, E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 5 – Russell Sage (10-6 E8, 15-10 Overall)
No. 6 – St. John Fisher (8-8 E8, 12-13 Overall)
No. 7 – Elmira (7-9 E8, 12-13 Overall
No. 8 – Alfred (5-11 E8, 11-14 Overall)
 
2025-26 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Schedule

Saturday, February 21 – First Round (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 8 Alfred at No. 1 Nazareth – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 7 Elmira at No. 2 SUNY Brockport – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 6 St. John Fisher at No. 3 Houghton – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 5 Russell Sage at No. 4 SUNY Geneseo – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Wednesday, February 25 – Semifinals (All games at Higher Seed)
Winner of Nazareth/Alfred  vs. Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Russell Sage – TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Winner of Brockport/Elmira vs. Houghton/St. John Fisher – TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Saturday, February 28 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

2026 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player

Admission
$10.00 - Adults
$2.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12

For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).

The 2025-26 Season In Photos….