PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Visiting Russell Sage College hung with St. John Fisher for much of Saturday's Empire 8 Conference matinee before falling 80-71 this afternoon.
Sophomore guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) led the Gators, which led 31-27 at the half, with 20 points. The co-captain, who went 8-of-13 from the field, dished out a team-high four assists.
Junior guard/forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) added 18 points and also tallied four assists.
Senior forward Daniel Cook powered the Cardinals to their fifth-straight victory. The two-time E8 Player of the Year, who earned third-team All-American honors last season, registered 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists. He recorded 21 of his points after the intermission.
SJFU (10-5/6-2 E8), which out-rebounded RSC 44-24, utilized a 16-0 run spanning 3:22 early in the second half to erase its deficit. The Gators were able to get the matinee within four on multiple occasions, including at 65-61 with 5:45 remaining, but unable to get any closer.
Looking ahead, RSC (3-13/1-8 E8) plays at Keuka on Friday at 7:30 pm.
Notes: The Gators, coming off an Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament appearance, graduated all five starters from last season…Nine players, accounting for just 21.22 percent of scoring and 16.82 percent of rebounding, are back…They joined nine newcomers to make up this year's roster…Girard and guard Ryan Long (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park), a graduate student, were voted co-captains...Head Coach Brian Barnes, now in his 14th season, began the campaign with a 167-153 overall record.
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