GENESEO, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo women's basketball team earned a huge Empire 8 win on Friday evening in Schrader Gym, defeating St. John Fisher 54-41. The win improves the Knights record to 16-5 overall and 11-1 in conference action, while the Cardinals dip to 16-5 and 11-1 in the Empire 8.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Knights got off to a hot start, scoring on their first three trips down the court for a 6-0 lead. On the second offensive possession, Geneseo tallied three offensive rebounds in a row to maintain possession, before Grace Galgano knocked down a jumper.
- The Cardinals were able to find the answer however, going on a 9-0 run of their own to take the lead. Trailing 12-10 after the first, the Knights put together a dominant second quarter effort, winning the 10-minute stretch by a score of 16-6. Kathleen Birmingham closed out the quarter with an offensive rebound put back to extend the lead to 26-18 at the break.
- Early in the third quarter, the Cardinals cut the lead to three, but a three-point shot from Kristin Suydam kickstarted the Knights offense and they never let the score get back to a one possession game. A three-point play from Maggie McGrane on Geneseo's final possession of the quarter gave them an 11 point lead at 42-31.
- The Knights quickly extended their lead to 15 points in the fourth quarter, and never looked back holding on for the 54-41 victory.
QUICK FACTS:
- Mackenzie Reigle tallied a game-high seven assists, moving her to fourth all-time in program history for career assists at 465. Additionally, she moved into second all-time for single season assists with 166, trailing only P.J. McTigue at 186 from the 1998-99 season.
- Suydam led the offense with 17 points, while Galgano chipped in 13. In addition to her seven assists, Reigle led the team in rebounding with 11.
- The Knights handed St. John Fisher their first conference defeat of the season, and limited them to just 26.8 percent shooting from the field.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Geneseo will host Nazareth tomorrow at 2 p.m. for Senior Day.
