ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick led for all but 1:03 of regulation, but St. John Fisher outscored the Hawks 7-0 over the final 2:55 and won it in overtime on Saturday at Lambros Arena, 73-66. Hartwick's Chris Ryder (Port Washington, NY/Port Washington) led all scorers with 25 points.
The Hawks, who led by as many as 14 points in the first half, were held without a field goal over the final 5:22 of regulation. 'Wick still held a 58-56 lead with under 20 seconds to play until center Jason Norsen hit a jumper with 14 seconds to play to tie it. Junior guard Andres Carpio (Beacon, NY/Lock Haven Univ.) drove for the last shot for the Hawks but he never got off it off with three Cardinals defending him and the game went to overtime.
In the extra period, Brent Harder gave the Cardinals their first lead of the night on a three-pointer after just 13 seconds and Fisher never relinquished the lead again. A Ryder jumper made it 63-62 with 2:41 left but Jordan Gettings hit a trey on Fisher's next possession triggering a 10-4 run to close the game.
Ryder made 8-of-16 shots, two three-pointers, and 7-of-8 free throws for his 25 points. Jared Suderley (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley) added a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Carpio finished with 11 points and Anthony Keane (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) and Martin McCann (Hopewell Junction, NY/Lourdes) each scored eight.
The Hawks began the game on fire as they made 52% as a team in the first half. Ryder led the way with 11 points and Keane and Suderley netted eight apiece. The 'Wick defense also held the Cardinals to just 33% shooting in the period.
Harder was Fisher's top scorer with 24 points. Gettings added 17, including six points in overtime. Jordan Koch added 12 points and 10 boards and Norsen finished with 10 points.
Hartwick, which slips to 7-6 overall and 2-2 in the Empire 8, ended the night shooting 43.3%. Fisher hit 39.1% of its shots but held a 47-32 edge in rebounds. That total included 19 offensive rebounds that the Cardinals turned into 15 points.
Hartwick returns to action on Tuesday night. The Hawks host Utica at Lambros Arena at 8 p.m.