Men's Basketball | 1/15/2010 10:53:23 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY - No. 2 seed St. John Fisher (12-2) used a 15-2 run midway through the second half to break open a close game and defeat the RIT men's basketball team (4-7) seeded sixth, 77-57 in the Wendy's College Classic semifinal contest at the Palestra hosted by the University of Rochester on Friday.

RIT's Adam Haines (West Sand Lake, NY/Averill Park) made a lay-up with 10:52 left to cut the Cardinals lead to 46-44.  St. John Fisher scored the game's next eight points to go up 54-44 and culminated the 15-3 run on a 3-pointer by Jordan Koch with 6:27 left.  The Tigers could not recover from there.

The Tigers did not have an answer for St. John Fisher's hot shooting over the final 20 minutes.  The Cardinals shot 64 percent from the field (16-for-25) in the second half.

Both teams turned the ball over 20 times.  St. John Fisher won the battle of the boards, 36-32.  RIT struggled from the floor, shooting just 38 percent (23-for-60).  The Cardinals shot 54 percent overall (28-for-52).  St. John Fisher was 9-for-14 from 3-point range.

Koch led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.  He was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc, and added four blocks.  Connor Henderson added 14 points and seven boards, while Matt Newman and Jason Norsen each had 10 points.  Norsen was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.

Anthony Terry (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) led RIT with 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half.  Brendan Harder (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta), who had averaged 22 points and 14 boards over the last two games, was held to eight points and three boards.  Nate Korinchak (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville) chipped in with seven points, a team-best seven boards, and four steals.  Darryl Anderson (San Diego, CA/Southwest) added seven points. 
Freshman Gabe Nicasio (Essex Junction, VT/Essex) scored his first two collegiate points for RIT.

The Tigers played aggressive on defense all evening, committing 19 fouls to just 10 by St. John Fisher.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as the Cardinals headed to the break with a 30-27 lead.  Fisher turned the ball over 11 times.

RIT will play fourth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan in the third place game at the Palestra, starting at 3 p.m.