ALBANY, N.Y. – It's not March yet, but the St. John Fisher men's basketball team delivered some Madness a little early on Saturday, making an already wide‑open Empire Conference Tournament feel even more unpredictable.

With their 77-72 victory over Russell Sage (21-5) at the Kahl Campus Center, the Cardinals (13-13) became the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in Empire 8 history. Not only in men's basketball, but in any of the conference's championship tournaments. 

The Cardinals will face No. 5-seeded SUNY Brockport in the E8 Semifinals at 6 p.m. Wednesday inside the Golden Eagles' Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium. Brockport beat No. 4-seeded SUNY Poly 84-75 in its first-round contest. 

Freshman guard Mekhi Gidney, who shot 5-of-14 overall (1-of-4 from three) and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, led the Cardinals on Saturday with 18 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Jack Janes and junior guard Giovanni Schillaci made huge contributions off the bench with 17 and 15 points, respectively, while sophomore forward/center Maximus Michalski also scored in double figures. He had 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go with six rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal. Senior guard Max Schneider dished out a game-high six assists and chipped in five points. 

Pape Tunkara (18 points) and Jeremy Rosario (17 points) paced the Gators offensively. Sage had two other players score in double figures, including Khalel Noteman, who posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Gators' 72 points marked their second-fewest in a game this season. They entered the postseason as the top-scoring team in the Empire 8 at 86.4 points per game and had scored 80 or more points in 19 consecutive contests, a streak that began on Nov. 30. 

How It Happened 

The Cardinals opened the game with a 13-2 run that included seven points from Michalski, four from Gidney and two from sophomore guard Andrew Violante. Russell Sage quickly shook off its slow offensive start, though, tying the game with an 11-0 surge that took just under three minutes. 

Schillaci put Fisher back in front with a 7-0 run by himself, making a pair of layups and a 3-pointer to make the score 20-15. He finished the first half with 13 points after drilling two more 3-pointers in the final eight minutes, with the second one extending the Cardinals' lead to 11 points, 30-19, with 6:42 left. 

The Gators pulled within two, 32-30, with three minutes left, but the Cardinals ended the half the way they started it, using another 13-2 run to go into the break up by 13, 45-32. Gidney and Janes each had five points in that stretch, and Schneider provided the other three on a 3-pointer. Gidney scored 11 total points in the half while shooting 3-of-7 from the field (1-of-2 from three) and 4-of-4 from the foul line. 

Michalski made a pair of layups, and Violante knocked down a 3-pointer as the Cardinals' lead swelled to a game-high 16 points, 52-36, in the first five minutes of the second half. 

Of course, though, it's never that easy against a top-seeded team on the road. 

After Janes made a layup and a free-throw as part of a three-point play that put the Cardinals ahead by 15 with 13:28 left, the Gators outscored Fisher 17-5 over about five minutes to pull within three points, 60-57. 

The Gators pulled within three five more times in the final seven minutes, but the Cardinals had an answer each time. After Tunkara cut it to 68-65 with a layup with 4:12 left, Janes made a 3-pointer and Gidney sank a mid-range jumper to give the Cardinals some breathing room at 73-65. 

Rosario, who led the Gators with 13 second-half points, cut the Cardinals' lead to three once more with a tip-in layup in the final 10 seconds. But Fisher slammed the door shut on any last-second drama, as Janes finished his 12-point second half with a dunk to seal the 77-72 first-round upset. 

Game Notes

• The Cardinals never trailed in the contest. 

• Janes matched his career high with 17 points.

• Schillaci recorded his team-leading seventh game this season with three or more made 3-pointers.  

• Gidney recorded his third straight game with 10 points or more. 

• Michalski has scored in double figures in each of the Cardinals' last four games and 19 times overall this season. 

• The Cardinals shot 50.9% (28-of-55) from the field, their third-highest mark of the season.

Up Next

The Cardinals face No. 5-seeded SUNY Brockport at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the E8 Semifinals.