Fisher Bows Out To Tufts In Round Two Of NCAAs
The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team saw the end of its 2016-17 season on Saturday as the Cardinals were defeated on Bobby Wanzer Court by the Jumbos of Tufts University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The loss snapped an 11-game win streak for the Cardinals who end the season 23-6 overall in the program's 16
th trip to the NCAAs.
It was a competitive start as the game saw six lead changes in the first seven minutes. Fisher led by as much as eight with just under ten to go in the first after a layup from
Keegan Ryan. The momentum gradually shifted to the Jumbos as they would go on to lead by 12 points with just six minutes to half. Fisher battled to come within six before the break, but would not take the lead for the remainder of the game. Ryan was commanding in the first half, scoring 13 while grabbing six boards
The Cardinals continued to chip away at the Jumbo lead and would eventually tie it up with 13 minutes left after another layup from Ryan. Fisher would go on a six-point spurt in the final eight minutes of play and come within five of the Jumbos after two sunk free throws from
Sammy Robinson, but could not sustain their momentum.
From there, Tufts would extend its advantage to as many as 15 points after pounding six shots from within the arc in the final minutes. Layups from Robinson,
Tyler English, and Ryan in the final minutes would attempt to combat the six made free throws by Tufts, but Fisher would struggle to shorten the deficit.
Ryan capped off his senior season with a double-double scoring 33 and grabbing 11 boards, seven of which were offensive, and went a perfect 7-of-7 from the line. English and Robinson both finished with 14, English notching eight rebounds and four assists as well.
The Cardinals closed out the season with a record of 26-6 and claimed its eighth Empire 8 title since 2000, while head coach
Rob Kornaker became the program's winningest coach, passing Hall-of-Famer Bobby Wanzer.