Rochester, NY - A late Utica comeback fell just short of a win against second-seeded St. John Fisher Friday night in the opening round of the Empire 8 men's basketball tournament. This 81-68 loss marks the end of the Pioneers' 2019-20 campaign, where they finished with the most wins (18) in a single season since 2007.

Sophomore guard Darius Hopkins (Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian) notched a team-high 21 points on the night. The First-Team All-Conference selection reached this mark by shooting 7-of-15 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Junior center Kimedrick Murphy (Hudson, NY/Hudson) continued to assert his dominance in the post as he has done all season, tabbing a game-high 15 rebounds in addition to his nine points.

Utica jumped out to an early lead in this contest, as it held a 17-10 advantage with just over 12 minutes left in the half. Fisher weathered the storm, outscoring UC 34-12 for the remainder of the half to head into the locker room with a 44-29 advantage.

The Pioneers came roaring back in the early stages of the second stanza, outscoring the Cardinals 20-5 to tie the game at 49 with 10:16 left to play. UC then took a 51-50 lead by way of a Murphy layup with 9:29 left on the clock. This contest saw three more lead changes over the next two minutes of play, with the final lead (57-56) being taken on a St. John Fisher free throw at the 7:40 mark. The Cardinals would hold onto and build on this lead for the remainder of the game.

Freshman point guard Brett Talbert (Deer Park, NY/Knox School) also impressed, as he posted 16 points, four rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) was the only other Pioneer to finish scoring in double digits with 11 points of his own. Sophomore center Justin Worth (Catskill, NY/Catskill) had one of his best outings of the season, as he netted six points and swatted a team-high four blocks.

St. John Fisher advances to the Empire 8 Conference championship Saturday afternoon against tournament host and top-seeded Nazareth at 4 p.m.