Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—A 12-2 run midway through the second half propelled the visiting Rensselaer basketball team to a 71-56 Liberty League victory over William Smith tonight. The Red Hawks improve to 9-2 overall, 1-0 in the conference, while the Herons slip to 7-6, 1-1.

Junior forward Erin Cunningham (Morris Knolls/Rockaway, N.J.) led William Smith with 19 points and six rebounds, while sophomore forward Ashlinn Barber (Spencer-Van Etten/Spencer, N.Y.) notched her second double-double of the season on 15 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Latasha Coney (Lyons/Lyons, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points.

Rensselaer put four players in double figures, paced by senior guard Whitney Coleman's (Etiwanda/Rancho Cucamunga, Calif.) game-high 24 points. First-year guard Sarah Whetmore (Lincoln Sudbury/Sudbury, Mass.), senior guard Kerry Hayes (Nashua North/Nashua, N.H.), senior guard Caitlyn Charest (LaSalle Academy/Swansea, Mass.) added 14, 11, and 10 points, respectively. Senior forward Elizabeth Barker (Cathedral/Suffield, Conn.) posted a team-high 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.

The Herons struggled from the floor, connecting on just 28.6 percent of their 70 shots and just 57.9 percent from the line, while the Red Hawks shot 40 percent from the floor and 88.9 percent from the stripe.

Clinging to a 51-50 edge, RPI notched its decisive 12-2 run thanks in large part to six points from Coleman. William Smith never got closer than seven down the stretch as the Red Hawks scored the game's final eight points, all from the free throw line.

The first half was a defined by runs as well. RPI staked itself to an 11-point advantage with 15-2, but saw the Herons come back with a 22-8 surge that put them in front 31-28. However, the Red Hawks went into halftime with a 34-31 lead by scoring the stanza's final six points.

William Smith is back in action tomorrow, Jan. 17, when the Herons host Vassar, while Rensselaer will travel to Hamilton tomorrow. Both games will tip off at 2 p.m.