Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—The St. Lawrence University basketball team upset No. 13/17 William Smith College 62-53 in the Liberty League Championship game in Bristol Gym this afternoon. Along with the title, the Saints earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, while the Herons will have to wait until Monday to find out if they will receive one of 21 at-large bids to the 63-team field.

A classic battle between conference rivals, the lead changed hands nine times in the contest. St. Lawrence (23-4) overcame a 36.2 shooting performance by outrebounding William Smith 34-29, including 13 offensive boards, and turning that advantage into an 11-1 margin in second chance points. The Saints also made more free throws (22-of-30) than the Herons (11-20) attempted.

SLU pulled away with a tough defensive stand over the game’s final three minutes. William Smith sophomore forward Erin Cunningham (Morris Knolls/Rockaway, N.J.) converted a traditional three-point play with 3:32 remaining to give the home team a 53-51 lead. It was William Smith’s final lead of the game.

Just shy of a minute later, senior guard Kim Sikule (Berne-Knox Westerlo/Westerlo, N.Y.) hit a driving layup to tie the game for the eight and final time. The Herons bookended turnovers around a missed layup by the Saints, giving SLU a second chance at reclaiming the lead. Senior guard Jamie Wolff (Nardin Academy/Buffalo, N.Y.) made it happen at the free throw line with two freebies.

Following another William Smith turnover, junior guard Katie Palmer (Falmouth Academy/Bourne, Mass.) had her first attempt at a four-point Saints lead blocked by Cunningham, but Palmer collected the rejection and made the put back. For there, SLU made five of six from the free throw line to secure the championship.

Wolff led all scorers with 26 points, while Palmer added 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Junior guard Lauren Sischo (South Jefferson/Rodman, N.Y.) also reached double digits with 10 points.

Graduate student guard Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) led William Smith (23-3) with 19 points, including three three-pointers. Senior guard Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.) added 11 points and a game-high five assists. Cunningham led the Herons on the boards with eight to go with a nine-point scoring effort.