Box Score GENEVA, N.Y. -- Senior Liz Brown (Marcus Whitman/Rushville, N.Y.) scored a game-high 16 points and the William Smith College basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak with a 69-50 victory over visiting Hamilton College. The Herons (15-4, 7-1 UCAA) recorded their 78th consecutive triumph in Bristol Gym, the longest active home winning streak in collegiate basketball. Hamilton suffered its ninth straight loss and fell to 3-12, 3-7.
William Smith scored the game's initial eight points and led by as many as 22 in the opening half on the strength of 51.5 percent shooting from the floor.
The Continentals trailed 44-30 with 13:47 remaining in the contest on a three-pointer by first-year Lara Baron (Cherry Hill East/Cherry Hill, N.J.), but the Herons answered with a 12-0 run over the next 4 minutes, 30 seconds, to put the game out of reach.
Brown knocked down 6-of-10 from the floor and gathered in three steals to lead William Smith. She needs just five steals to dethrone Jill Kathmann '96 as the College's all-time leader, and five points to move into sixth place on the career scoring list. Brown now has 325 steals and 1,192 points in 99 career games. Junior Mollie Masten (Williamsport/Williamsport, Pa.) hit her first five field goal attempts en route to a 13-point, five-rebound performance. She also made three steals and blocked two shots. Sophomore Leah Cornwell (Wheatland-Chili/Scottsville, N.Y.) finished with eight points, six boards, and three assists. Classmate JeanneMarie Vinchiarello (Our Lady of Lourdes/Dover Plains, N.Y.) contributed eight points and three assists, while first-year Laura Hadwin (Vestal/Vestal, N.Y.) ripped down a game-high eight rebounds.
For the Continentals, Baron and senior Sabrina Valenta (Notre Dame/Frankfort, N.Y.) shared team-high scoring honors with 12 points apiece. Valenta also had eight rebounds, three blocks, and a pair of steals. First-year Elizabeth Casey (Williamsville East/Williamsville, N.Y.) handed out a game- high five assists.
The Herons will look to end a two-game skid on the road on Sat., Feb. 5, when they travel to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
-- HWS SPORTS --
