Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—The No. 13/17 William Smith College basketball team defeated Rensselaer 64-53 in the semifinals of the Liberty League Tournament in Bristol Gym tonight. The Herons used a dominating first half to advance to their fifth championship game appearance since 2000.

William Smith (23-2) shot 42.1 percent from the floor, but limited the Red Hawks (12-13) to a mere 23.3 percent. RPI made just six field goals in the first half and trailed 30-16 at the break.

The Herons opened the contest with seven straight points, but the Red Hawks countered with six unanswered. Not to be outdone, William Smith scored the next nine points to seize a 16-6 advantage with 9:06 remaining in the opening stanza. Five different Herons contributed to the run.

RPI senior forward Brittney O’Neal (The Morgan School/Clinton, N.Y.) hit a layup to make it an eight point game, but junior guard Paige Myers (Massena/Massena, N.Y.) drained a three at the other end of the floor to push William Smith’s lead back into double digits for good.

A 14-5 run to start the second half allowed the Herons to build their largest lead of the game, 46-21, with 15:04 to go. From that point on, Rensselaer outscored William Smith 30-18, but it was too little to late.

Junior guard Latasha Coney (Lyons/Lyons, N.Y.) led the Herons with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Senior guard Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.) added 14 points, six assists, five boards, and four steals, while senior forward Stephanie Czajkowski (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds. Graduate student guard Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) collected a team-high 10 caroms for William Smith.

RPI senior guard Missy Jackman (Danvers/Danvers, Mass.) led all scorers with 18 points, while junior forward Elizabeth Barker (Cathedral/Suffield, Conn.) registered a double-double on 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. The Red Hawks held a 47-37 advantage on the glass.

William Smith will face St. Lawrence, a 75-70 winner in double overtime over Hamilton, in the Liberty League Championship on Sat., March 1, at 3 p.m. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.