St. John Fisher Upends Women's Hoops in Tip-Off Classic Championship, 76-68

THE BASICS 

Scores:    Saint John Fisher College, 76, No. 25 Emmanuel College (Mass.) 68
Records:
Emmanuel College Saints (1-1) 
Saint John Fisher (3-0)              
Location: Boston, Mass. – Emmanuel College's Andy Yosinoff Court
Date: Sunday, November 17, 2019

THE LEAD: Sophomore forward and tournament Most Valuable Player Julia Mertsock (Castle, N.Y.) scored 24 points to lead the Saint John Fisher College women's basketball team over host number 25 Emmanuel College (Mass.), 76-68, in the Championship Game of the 36^th Annual Emmanuel College Tip-Off Tournament on Andy Yosinoff Court in Boston, Mass.  

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• Sophomore guard Leah Koonmen (Fairport, N.Y.) made a lay-up to give Saint John Fisher the lead for good at 10-8 with 4:11 to play in the opening quarter as part of a 12-2 run that ultimately gave the Cardinals an 18-10 lead with 2:42 remaining in the period.
• Emmanuel closed the quarter with six of the final eight points to cut the deficit to 22-18 after one quarter of play.
• Sophomore forward Loredana D'Agostino (East Windsor, Conn.) knocked down a jumper at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter to pull the Saints to within 26-24, but it was as close as the home team would get for the rest of the contest.
• Saint John Fisher closed out the first half with a 15-6 stretch that included eight of the final 10 points, including six from Mertsock, to give the Cardinals a 41-32 halftime advantage.
• Saint John Fisher maintained a 50-38 margin with 6:28 showing in the third quarter, before Emmanuel put together a 9-3 burst, paced by four points apiece from seniors Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.) and Kayla Weaver (West Haven, Conn.), to cut the deficit to 53-47 with 2:53 remaining in the third quarter. The margin stayed at six as the horn sounded with 55-49 showing at the end of the quarter.
• D'Agostino canned a jump shot with 6:55 left in the final quarter to bring the Saints to within 61-57, but six unanswered points from the Cardinals pushed the lead back to 10 at 67-57, which proved to be too much for Emmanuel to overcome with 5:17 remaining in the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Saint John Fisher shot 48.3% (28-58) for the game, including 52% (13-25) in the second half and owned a 40-32 rebounding advantage.
• Emmanuel committed just 13 turnovers, while forcing its guests into 21, but the Cardinals still managed a one-point edge in points off turnovers at 15-14.
• Mertsock was 10-15 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds.
• Sophomore forward Ella Eckert (East Amherst, N.Y.) netted 18 points on 8-12 from the floor and finished a rebound short of a double-double in addition to handing out five assists and coming up with three steals for Saint John Fisher.
• Koonmen contributed with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Cardinals.
• Ramirez-Tejeda finished with a team-high 19 points and added 12 boards, two assists and a pair of steals for the Saints.
• Weaver chipped in with 15 points on 6-10 shooting to go with six assists, a block and a steal.
• D'Agostino scored all 12 of her points off the bench and also pulled down six boards, blocked two shots and registered four assists.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

• Bailey Donovan – Husson University
• Ella Eckert – Saint John Fisher
• Leah Koonmen – Saint John Fisher
• Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda – Emmanuel
• Kayla Weaver – Emmanuel

MVP: Julia Mertsock – Saint John Fisher

UP NEXT

• Emmanuel returns to the court on November 19 when it hosts Connecticut College at 7:00 p.m.
• Saint John Fisher is in action again on November 21, traveling to Rochester, N.Y. to take on University of Rochester at 6:00 p.m.