Dan McSweeney scored a game-high 17 points for Fisher (11-2). No other player had more than six. The Cardinals won their eighth Chase championship. Entering the game, Fisher, Rochester, and RIT were all tied with seven titles. It was also Fisher’s first win over Rochester at the Palestra since December 8, 1981. Rochester had beaten the Cardinals 13 straight times on the UR floor before the 2006 Chase title game.
Mike Goia led Rochester (10-4) with 11 points. Jon Onyiriuka had nine points and eight rebounds. Jeff Juron had eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots.
McSweeney was named to the All-Tournament First Team along with Onyiriuka and Juron. Fisher’s Sean O’Brien was a second team selection with Goia.
The game was the crowd expected: tight throughout. Juron spent a good part of the night guarding O’Brien (who was the MVP when Fisher won last year). O’Brien picked up two early fouls and played only eight minutes in the first half. McSweeney scored 11 of his 17 in the first 20 minutes and Beigel had eight of his 14. The Cardinals shot 46.7% from the floor (14 of 30) but held a 33-29 edge on the strength of good positional rebounding (16-11 on the boards) and nearly flawless ballhandling (one turnover).
Rochester hit 54.5% in the first half (12 of 22). The Yellowjackets blocked three shots – two by Uche Ndubizu and one by Juron and hit three three-pointers.
The Yellowjackets built a four-point lead twice, the last time at 21-17 on a jumper in the lane by Michael Chmielowiec. Fisher ran off nine in a row (four points from Beigel and a trey by Mueller as part of it) to take a 26-21 lead with 5:20 to go. Three-pointers from Goia and Juron got Rochester within 30-29 with 1:06 to go. McSweeney scored a conventional three-point play in the final minute for a 33-29 lead at the half.
It grew to eight points, 37-29, 1:10 into the second half before Rochester charged again. Onyiriuka made back to back layups, Juron hit one free throw, and Goia added a jumper, pulling the Yellowjackets to within 38-37 with 15:36 to play. Fisher got it back to five, 43-38 before layups from Goia and Eric Snider a minute apart made it 43-42 midway through the half.
Tim Brackney hit a left wing jump, then canned a three-pointer from the top of the key to get Rochester within 50-47 with 7:04 left. The Yellowjacket shooting turned cold, with Onyiriuka’s layup at 3:59 Rochester’s last field goal.
With Fisher ahead by four, O’Brien hit five of six from the line (his only points) in the last 2:46 to wrap it up.
For the game, Rochester hit 43.8% from the field (21 of 48), just 4 of 19 outside the arc. Fisher was slightly colder from long range (3 of 16). The Cardinals hit 20 of 51 overall (39.2%). Fisher held a 33-28 rebound advantage (12-10 on the offensive glass).