Women's Basketball | 4/6/2021 9:53:56 PM
Top-seeded Nazareth College and No. 2 St. John Fisher College advanced to the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game after earning semifinal victories on Tuesday, April 6. Nazareth rolled to a 67-31 win over No. 4 seed Keuka College, while the Cardinals knocked off No. 3 seed Alfred Universiy, 76-62.
NO. 1 NAZARETH 67, NO. 4 KEUKA 31
Jadyn Abrams led all scorers with 20 points to lead Nazareth to their seventh win in a row, as they improve to 9-2 overall in 2021.
The Wolves jumped out to a 9-2 following a 3-point basket by Amelia Poole with 6:47 left in the first quarter. Abrams responded with a 3-pointer that touched off a 20-0 scoring run that enabled Nazareth to close out the first 10 minutes with a 22-9 advantage. Abrams scored nine points during the scoring spree. Nazareth outscored Keuka 19-4 in the second quarter to create a 41-13 halftime lead and was not challenged thereafter. Abrams added seven more points in the second quarter and had 18 of her 20 in the first half.
Nazareth had good scoring balance the rest of the way. Junior Caley Cornwell contributed 10 points and her featured defensive tenacity that included six steals. Ryann Stefaniak and Kim Davis each scored nine points.
NO. 2 ST. JOHN FISHER 76, NO. 3 ALFRED 62
For the fourth consecutive season, the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team will play for a conference title as the second-seeded Cardinals improved to 9-2 after defeating third-seeded Alfred University, 76-62.
Miranda Lynch
led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting including five from downtown while Kaitlyn Walker posted her third double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Sam Fischer provided a spark off the bench with 14 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes. Amy Gardner and Anna Milham had seven points apiece while Hannah Morse chipped in with six points, five assists and four boards.
As a team, Fisher handed out 21 assists on the night and went 29-for-66 (.439) from the floor. The Cardinals buried seven from behind the arc and held a big advantage on the glass after out-rebounding Alfred, 49-38.
Nazareth and St. John Fisher will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening for the Empire 8 Championship. The Cardinals are looking to make it back-to-back E8 titles and win their sixth league title in program history, while Nazareth is attempting to win its first league championship. The two teams split the regular season series which each team winning on the road. St. John Fisher won the E8 season opener over Nazareth, 66-46 on March 1, while Nazareth earned a 60-57 victory on March 16.
2021 Empire 8 Spring Women's Basketball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 6 - Semifinals
No. 1 Nazareth defeated No. 4 Keuka, 67-31 - STATS
No. 2 St. John Fisher defeated No. 3 Alfred, 76-62 - STATS
Thursday, April 8 - (at Highest Remaining Seed)
No. 1 Nazareth hosts No. 2 St. John Fisher - 7 p.m.