UTICA, NY- The Utica College women's basketball team jumped out to a fast start, but visiting St. John Fisher College was able to outlast the Pioneers as the Cardinals came away with a 66-53 win in Empire 8 Conference action Friday evening.
 
Fisher remains atop the E8 standings with a 3-0 mark in league play (9-4 overall), while the Pioneers drop to 2-2 in the E8 and 9-6 overall.  Utica will look to bounce back Saturday as it hosts Nazareth College.  Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
The Pioneers controlled play in the opening minutes, leading by as many as eight points with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.  Utica kept up the pressure in the second stanza and took a 30-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.  
 
Fisher battled back to even the score at 43-43 after three quarters of play.  The Cardinals then pulled ahead just 19 seconds into the final frame and kept the lead for the remainder of the contest to remain unbeaten in conference play.
 
Senior Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) finished with a game-high 21 points, marking her seventh outing with over 20 points this season.  The nation's assist leader also dished out six helpers on the evening and grabbed five rebounds. Conkin is now in fifth place all-time with 296 career assists.
 
Junior Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy Memorial) chipped in with 11 points of her own, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc, while classmate Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) added eight points and one block to her credit.  Kristine Miller (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook), Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), and Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) also registered points for the Pioneers.  
 
Rebounds proved to be the difference-maker as Fisher out-rebounded Utica 48-27 and totaled 18 second-chance points compared to UCs five.