Women's Basketball | 4/8/2021 10:11:01 PM
Tournament Most Valuable Player
Ryann Stefaniak scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds and
Jadyn Abrams had 19 points and six rebounds for top-seeded Nazareth as the Golden Flyers defeated St. John Fisher, 67-62, to win the 2021 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship, their first in program history on Thursday, April 8.
The game, played on Mike Daley Court at the Kidera Gymnasium, was a nailbiter throughout and came down to the last two possessions. It was the eighth win in a row for the Golden Flyers, who completed the 2021 season with a 10-2 overall record. Fisher finishes its season at 9-3.
Nazareth led 63-62 for more than two minutes down the stretch of the fourth quarter, each team misfired on five shots before Abrams sank a huge baseline jumper with 24 seconds left. Fisher's Amy Gardner missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the other end before Abrams sank a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left for the final victory margin.
Nazareth twice opened up eight-point advantages in the first half. Stefaniak made four 3-point baskets in the game, including two late in the first quarter to give Nazareth a 22-14 lead.
The Cardinals scored the first basket of the second quarter before consecutive baskets by
Sarah Simmons and Stefaniak boosted Nazareth's lead back to eight at 26-18 with 5:17 left in the half. Fisher, however, then embarked on its strongest stretch of the game in rattling off 11 straight points to regain the lead. Late Nazareth baskets by
Chelsea Woodsum and Abrams enabled the Golden Flyers to take a one-point lead, 30-29, into halftime.
The third quarter featured seven lead changes with Nazareth securing a 52-45 advantage on a basket by
Elizabeth White with 18 seconds left in the quarter.
The game remained close in the fourth quarter with Stefaniak nailing another 3-pointer early in the quarter only to have Fisher's Miranda Lynch answer with a long-distance shot on the next possession.
Caley Cornwell sank two free throws to put Nazareth ahead by four, 61-57, but Fisher's Claire Kruszka converted a three-point play to keep the Cardinals close.
Abrams scored again for Nazareth, but Sam Fischer responded for the Cardinals to make the score 63-62 with less than three minutes to play. Both teams misfired on subsequent possessions, including two missed three-pointers by Nazareth and two missed free throws by Fisher, before Abrams converted her short jumper.
White contributed eight points, five assists and four steals for Nazareth and Cornwell had eight points and three steals.
Kim Davis added seven points and eight rebounds. Kruszka was Fisher's high scorer with 19 points. Sam Fischer added 16 points and nine boards for the Cardinals.
Nazareth's first E8 title came under the direction of sixth-year head coach
Kelly Dunne, who led the Golden Flyers to the E8 playoffs for just the fourth time in their history. Fisher, the defending conference champion, was shooting for its sixth title in its 18th appearance.