The Utica College women's basketball team lost to Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher 77-76 Friday as second chance points would cost the Pioneers the game in the second half. UC was led by junior Jessica Berry (Rome, NY), who led all scorers with 31 points and Devon Croll (Vernon, NY), who added 19.

The Pioneers would struggle at the beginning of the game as they allowed the Cardinals to jump out to a 17-5 lead. UC was out rebounded 20-11in the first half and trailed 47-33 going into halftime. Berry's 15 first half points would keep the Pioneers within striking distance as they entered the second half.

UC would come out strong in the second half as points off turnovers led to a tied game with ten minutes left. The final ten minutes would continue to be a fight as each team struggled to put the other away. The Pioneers would give up one too many offensive rebounds in the games final minutes as Fisher would go on to win 77-76. The Cardinals were led by Colleen Maloney and Amanda Lax, who scored 20 and 12 points, respectively.

The Pioneers fall to 18-6 overall and 11-4 in conference while the Cardinals improve to 14-10 overall and 9-7 in the Empire 8. UC will look to bounce back Sunday as they end regular season play at home against Elmira College at the Clark Athletic Center with an expected start time of 1 p.m.

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