Women's Basketball | 2/24/2024 4:13:00 PM
PITTSFORD, NY – The top-seeded St. John Fisher University women's basketball team won their eighth Empire 8 title in program history and punched a ticket to the NCAA Division III tournament on Saturday, beating No. 3 seed Houghton University 66-55.
It's the third straight year that the Cardinals have made the tournament, and the fourth straight tournament (the 2020-21 NCAAs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The title is also the third straight conference crown for Fisher and its fourth under head coach Melissa Kuberka. The Cardinals improve to 23-4 on the season, while Houghton drops to 23-5.
Junior guard Sidney Tomasso earned tournament MVP after a tournament that included a 21-point performance on Saturday. The Waverly, NY native also had six rebounds and two assists against Houghton.
The Cardinals fell behind early in the contest, as Houghton's Kayla Camacho hit a three-pointer less than 30 seconds in to give the Highlanders an early lead. The Cardinals cut the lead to just one on two occasions in the first quarter, but a 15-4 run gave Houghton a 20-8 cushion with just under three minutes left in the first.
Fisher then responded, storming back with an 8-0 run in the last 2:54 to head into the second quarter down just four, 20-16.
In the second quarter, they closed that gap and then jumped ahead. On three separate occasions, the Cardinals tied it, but it wasn't until there was less than three minutes left in the half that they took the lead, on a big three-pointer by Tomasso to make it 31-28. The Cardinals ultimately went into the half with a six-point lead, 37-31.
St. John Fisher extended the lead in the third, as Tomasso and freshman guard Madeline Ramsgard each notched five points in a quarter where the Cardinals outscored Houghton 14-8 to lengthen the lead to 66-55. Although the Highlanders cut the lead to 10 in the fourth and final quarter, the Cardinals ultimately held on for the 11-point win and the conference title.
Four Cardinals finished in double-digits on the day: Tomasso, Ramsgard (13), senior guard Claire Kruszka (12), and Moravec (12). Kruszka also led the team in assists, with eight. On defense, Moravec led with three steals while freshman forward Joleen Lusk had 13 rebounds (nine defensive) and five blocks- just one short of her season high.
Houghton's Kayla Camacho finished with a game-high 24 points and four steals for Houghton, who fell to 23-5. The Highlanders shot 53 percent in the first half, but just 5-of-31 (16 percent) pver the second and third quarters of play.
The Cardinals will find out who and where they play when the Division III selection show is aired on Monday at 2:30 p.m. Houghton and Nazareth University will await a potential NCAA at-large bid.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
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