Media Contact: Norm Kieffer
585-385-8421 (phone)
nkieffer@sjfc.edu (e-mail)
Fisher Men’s Basketball Advances to NCAA Division III Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y., February 29, 2004 — The St. John Fisher College men’s basketball team successfully-defended its Empire 8 Conference title, as the top-seeded Cardinals came through with a 62-59 victory over visiting Utica College today in the Empire 8 Conference Championship final.
With the win, Fisher (21-6) automatically-qualifies for the NCAA Division III Championship for the 10th time in the last 13 years. The Cardinals will learn who and when they will play at 10:30 p.m. tonight.
Fisher led by 12 points with 8:42 left in the ball game when Utica went on a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to bring the game within one point.
Utica had the game’s final possession with 16.2 seconds left, but failed to get a shot off that could have forced overtime.
Nick Bennett (Binghamton/Binghamton) led all scorers with 19 points, tying his career high, and grabbed nine rebounds. Bennett scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half, including three three-pointers.
Fisher’s Matt Morley (Union-Endicott/Endicott) was the only other Fisher player in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Auman, who drained a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left to give the Cardinals a six-point lead, finished with nine points, while Cory Hepburn (Frederick Douglass/New York) tallied eight points and seven rebounds for Fisher.
Utica (16-11) was led by Justin Cichon (New Hartford/New Hartford) and Tim Troy (Archbishop Stepinac/Yonkers), scoring 13 and 12 points respectively. Troy also grabbed 13 rebounds to pick up his second double-double of the Conference Tournament.