PITTSFORD N.Y. – Russell Sage College put a scare in No. 20 St. John Fisher in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament Semifinals this evening. The Gators, seeded fifth, started hot, getting out to a 16-3 lead and headed into the locker room up 33-30.
St. John Fisher, coming in at No. 20 in the latest WBCA National Poll and the top seed of this year's tournament, was able to adjust in the second half, outscoring RSC 25-14 in the third period on its way to a 69-59 home victory.
Freshman guard Syrita Faraj (Troy, NY/Tamarac), who was named the E8 Rookie of the Year on Wednesday, topped the Gators with 16 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Kyra Oeffler (Green Island, NY/Heatly) added 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, six boards and two blocks.
Junior forward Kaitlyn Walker led SJFC, now winners of ten-straight games, with a double-double of 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 14 rebounds. The second-team All-E8 pick was one of three Cardinals to score in twin figures. Freshman guard Sidney Tomasso contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, while freshman guard Katie Moravec netted ten points.
St. John Fisher (24-2), now 12-0 at home, will host either Nazareth, seeded third, or Hartwick, the two seed, in tomorrow's Tournament Championship Final. RSC closed its season with a 13-14 overall record.
Notes: The Gators made their second E8 Championship Tournament appearance…They reached the Championship Game in the 2020 edition...Faraj was named the E8 Rookie of the Year on Wednesday...The four-time E8 Rookie of the Week, who registered ten double-doubles this season, also was voted second-team All-Conference...She led the Gators in scoring with 13.8 points per-game...Senior guard Sammy Pasinella (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) also earned second-team All-E8 honors...She equaled a program record with eight made three-pointers on Jan. 18 vs. Utica...Pasinella, who was named first-team All-Conference as a junior, averaged 12.1 points and a team-best 3.2 assists this year...She closed the campaign ranked sixth in RSC career records with 120 made three-pointers.
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