PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Russell Sage College Gators dropped the first game of its weekend Rochester tour to the St. John Fisher Cardinals 97-90 on Friday night.
St. John Fisher, which led for the final 27:07, outscored RSC 60-57 in the second half to secure the home Empire 8 Conference victory.
The Cardinals (11-7/7-2 E8) were led by forward Daniel Cook, the three-time E8 Player of the Year. The fifth-year senior had 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting, six rebounds, four blocks, and an assist.
In the highest scoring game of the year, the Gators had two players over twenty points. Junior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) led the effort for the Gators with 22 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. Senior center Will Ruiz (Bronx, NY/Wings Academy) added a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and five rebounds off the bench.
Looking ahead, the Gators (8-10/1-8 E8) are back on the court tomorrow at Nazareth at 4:00.
Gator Bites: Head coach Brian Barnes is in his 15th season at the helm of the Gators…Seven returnees and eight newcomers comprise this year's roster…The team's co-captains: junior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls), senior guard Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) and junior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) helped the Gators get off to a 4-0 start…Girard commenced the week leading the Gators with 16.2 points per-game, good for sixth in the E8... He recorded 31 points, a career-high, on 10-of-16 shooting in the November 18 win at SUNY Poly...Brown added 10.3 points per-game, while Williamson averaged 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds...An RSC player has taken home Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the week on four occasions...Freshman center Khalel Noteman (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie) was picked three times (November 13, November 27, December 4), while freshman guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany) was chosen on November 20…RSC began the week ranked second in the E8 by allowing 68.3 points per-game.
