The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's basketball program clinched the Empire 8 Conference regular-season title on Saturday, as the Cardinals posted a 71-51 win over East-Avenue rival Nazareth College on Senior Day.

With the win, No. 17 Fisher improves to 20-2 on the year and 13-0 in the Empire 8 Conference.  The Cardinals will be the top seed in the Empire 8 Championship and will host the four-team tournament on February 27-28.  The winner of the Empire 8 Championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

The victory marks Fisher's 18^th consecutive win – the third-longest winning streak in the program's 52-year history.  It is also the 15^th time in the program's history the Cardinals have reached the 20-win plateau and the seventh time in head coach Rob Kornaker's 14-year career.

Fisher jumped out to a 43-19 lead after shooting 64.3% (18-for-28) from the floor over the game's opening 20 minutes and led by as many as 27 points early in the second half.
Keegan Ryan led Fisher 16 points and 10 rebounds, marking his ninth double-double of the year.

Stefan Bock finished with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.   Chaz Lott tallied nine points, six boards and four assists, while Zach Ottaway and Optimystik Kinard also each scored nine.

Fisher will return to action at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Alfred University.   The Cardinals will play their final three regular-season games on the road.