Women's Basketball | 3/4/2023 11:15:00 PM
NORTHAMPTON, MA – The St. John Fisher University women's basketball team led late in the fourth quarter before falling to nationally-ranked Smith College, 65-64 in the second round of the NCAA Division III women's basketball championship on Saturday evening. St. John Fisher finished with a tremendous 26-3 record for the second consecutive season, while Smith improves to 28-1 and will compete in the NCAA Round of 16 next weekend.
The first quarter started slow for the Cardinals, with Presleigh Brunner picking up the first three-pointer of the game, after two and a half minutes. Nearly two minutes later, Katie Moravec scored a jumper, Fisher leading 5-4. The next few minutes involved the two teams going back and forth, with Sidney Tomasso scoring a good jumper. The quarter ended with Claire Kruszka scoring a three-pointer, the Cardinals leading 14-12. The second quarter started with Kaitlyn Walker scoring two good free-throws. After a bit of back and forth, Tomasso scored a jumper, the Cardinals leading 27-19. After a comeback by Smith, Ka. Moravec scored a good jumper, Fisher leading 31-30. The half ended with Tomasso scoring a layup, the Cardinals leading 37-32 at the half.
The second half started with the Pioneers scoring a layup, followed by Walker getting a layup of her own. A minute later, Kruszka scored a three-pointer, followed by Smith going on a seven-point run. The teams spent the rest of the quarter going back and forth, with Ka. Moravec scoring a free-throw, Fisher trailing 46-47. The final quarter started slowly for the Cardinals, with Walker scoring a layup and a free-throw after 1:19. The teams continued a tight game, with Tomasso sparking a six-point run. A few minutes later, Ka. Moravec scored a jumper, seeing Fisher lead 62-56. The Cardinal's last points came from a layup scored by Tomasso, the game ending 64-65.
Leading for the Cardinals, Tomasso scored 18 points, shooting 7-for-11 and grabbing two rebounds. Katie Moravec also had a strong game, scoring 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Walker led in rebounds with six, while also scoring 12 points and adding one assist.
https://twitter.com/DrKarenWeaver/status/1553854961875812352?s=20&t=sLA-isifoySsJw87vr_ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
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