Box Score SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team came out on the short end of a 70-50 contest at Union this evening. The Herons will head into their regular season finale at Skidmore tomorrow in need of a victory to secure a spot in the four-team Liberty League Tournament.

First-year forward Kristen Kush led William Smith with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while senior guard Latasha Coney added eight points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Maria Tobin paced four Dutchwomen in double digits with a game-high 17 points, including five three-pointers.

William Smith (13-11, 7-6) led by as many as three in the early going, but Union (17-6, 11-2) rallied to build a seven-point advantage. A 7-2 run, capped by a Kush jumper with 4:03 remaining in the first half, cut the Dutchwomen's lead to just two, but the home team scored the final six points of the period to carry a 29-21 lead into halftime.

The Herons shot just 31.0 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, while Union shot 41.2 percent. William Smith improved its shooting after the break to 40.7 percent, but the Dutchwomen did better as well, connecting on 54.2 percent, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc.

Union stretched its lead into double figures early in the second half, but the Herons battled back to make it a four-point game, 40-36, on a jumper by Julie Hooper with 13:46 remaining. The Dutchwomen responded to the threat with a 16-2 run that put the contest out of reach.

William Smith must tomorrow at Skidmore (10-14) to make the Liberty League Tournament. The Herons, Thoroughbreds, and Hamilton are tied for fourth place with 7-6 conference records. If William Smith wins and the Continentals lose at Union, the Herons will be the No. 4 seed. If William Smith wins and Hamilton wins, the fourth seed will be determined by tie-breakers which are dependent on the results of tomorrow's Liberty League games. The loser of the William Smith-Skidmore game will be eliminated from playoff contention.