Men's Basketball | 12/29/2021 6:54:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Brendan Trapper and Daniel Cook combined to score 59 points on Wednesday night as the St. John Fisher College men's basketball team ran its winning streak to six games following an 84-72 win over Medaille College in the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Bobby Wanzer Court. With the win, Fisher improved to 6-2 on the year while the Mavericks fell to 4-6 overall.
Trapper finished with a game-high 30 points including 20 in the first half after shooting 10-of-15 from the floor and 7-for-9 from the free throw line. Cook posted another double-double with 29 points and 14 boards while Ryan Gentile added 12 points and three boards of his own in the victory. Sean Williams chipped in with five points, five assists and three steals while Matt Lettko added five points, two rebounds and two dimes off the bench.
After trailing throughout much of the first half, Fisher was able to regain control and built a double-digit lead heading into halftime courtesy of a 17-4 run over the final six minutes of play.
With momentum on its side to begin the second period, Fisher saw its lead dwindle to six points after the Mavericks buried three 3-pointers over the initial four minutes of play to pull to within six with just over 15 minutes showing on the clock.
From there, both teams swapped baskets over the next several minutes until a pair of free throws sparked a 9-0 burst with Trapper accounting for seven points on his own to forge the Cardinals ahead, 69-55, with 7:27 left to go before the final horn.
Holding a comfortable lead with time winding down, Fisher padded its advantage and saw its edge grow to as many as 20 points after an old-fashioned 3-point play from Gentile made it 84-64. With under two minutes to go, the tides began to shift with Medaille producing eight unanswered points to pull to within 12, but the comeback bid fell short with Fisher earning its sixth straight win by double-digits.
As a team, the Cardinals were 30-for-59 (.508) from the floor and connected on 18-of-24 shot attempts from the charity stripe. Head coach
Mike Grosodonia II's team grabbed 36 rebounds in all and forced the Mavericks in to 20 turnovers.
Fisher will return to action at 3 p.m. on Thursday as they take on the winner of No. 21 RPI and Oswego State in the championship game of the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament inside Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium.