ROCHESTER, N.Y.— In Friday night's conference battle between Houghton and St. John Fisher, the Highlanders put up a fight in the second half of the game. Houghton's slow start in the first half of the game, however, caught up to them, resulting in a 58-42 Cardinal victory.

The Cardinals did not waste time in regards to offensive initiative, taking a 12-0 lead within the first 5 minutes of the game. Maisie Pipher (Lowman, NY, Twin Tiers Christian) broke the silence by successfully executing two free throws.

In a 14-12 St. John Fisher run-lead and with the help of Houghton's Hannah Manwaring (Barton, NY, Tioga Central HS), the Highlanders were able to match the Cardinals nearly point for point. Regardless of the Highlanders' efforts, the first period closed out with a 30-17 Cardinal lead.

At the start of the second half, the two teams went back and forth in scoring opportunities. For Houghton, Pipher and Manwaring took turns scoring.

8:47 into the second period, the Highlanders still found themselves trailing 14 points. Each team rallied small amounts in spurts for the remainder of the game. By the time the buzzer was sounded, St. John Fisher claimed the 58-42 conference win.

Pipher was credited with 12 points, followed by Manwaring with 9 points.

The Highlanders are back in action tomorrow afternoon where they will play at home against Utica College with a start time of 2:00 p.m.