The Keuka College men’s basketball team closed out the home portion of its 2025–26 schedule in style Saturday, knocking off St. John Fisher University 77-69 in an Empire 8 Conference matchup at the JMW Recreation and Athletics Center.
Four Wolves scored in double figures, including three seniors honored before the game. Lamar Lovelace led the way with a game-high 21 points. Fellow seniors Marcus Reed and Akinlana Popoola added 15 and 10 points, respectively, while Kaleb Nutifafa also finished with 15 in the win.
Keuka College 77, St. John Fisher 69
Keuka fell behind 4-0 early but quickly responded as Lovelace scored to tie the game at 4-4. After Fisher briefly regained the lead, Popoola drained a three-pointer to give the Wolves a spark and a 7-5 edge. The back-and-forth battle continued until Reed knocked down a three with 10:43 left in the half to pull Keuka within two. Quinn VanKerkhove followed with a transition three at the 9:44 mark to tie the game at 19-19.
The Wolves began to take control from there. Nutifafa scored inside to make it 24-21, igniting a key run. Brennan Hopkins converted an and-one with 3:34 remaining in the half to push the lead to 31-24, and Nutifafa added another basket moments later. Lovelace closed the half in highlight fashion with a steal and fast-break layup, sending Keuka into the locker room up 40-32.
Fisher opened the second half with a three-point play, but Reed answered with a three of his own. Lovelace added a fast-break layup at 17:04 to make it 47-39, and Malik Junious-Fuller stretched the lead to double digits with a transition three at 16:21 off a Reed steal. Lovelace later connected from beyond the arc to extend the advantage to 53-41.
Keuka continued to capitalize on turnovers throughout the second half, finishing with 27 points off miscues. Behind Lovelace’s 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, along with Nutifafa’s presence inside and timely shooting from Reed and Junious-Fuller, the Wolves maintained control down the stretch to secure the 77-69 victory.
KC Notes:
The Wolves evened the season series with the Cardinals at 1-1. Fisher still leads the all-time series 30-5.
Lovelace paced Keuka with eight rebounds and six assists in addition to his 21 points. Nutifafa recorded seven rebounds and a career-high five assists. Reed’s 15 points marked a season high.
Senior Day honorees Ty LaBarge grabbed four rebounds, and Kevin Felasco added two boards.
Up Next:
With a playoff spot clinched, Keuka heads to Elmira College for its regular-season finale Tuesday night. The Wolves currently sit seventh in the conference standings but could finish as high as sixth or as low as eighth depending on results around the league. Tipoff against the Soaring Eagles is set for 7:30 p.m. in Elmira.
