Box Score Box Score

GENEVA, N.Y.—The St. Lawrence University basketball team slipped past a determined William Smith College squad on the strength of its depth, posting a 78-75 Liberty League victory in Bristol Gym tonight. The Saints' bench outscored the Herons' 31-15.

St. Lawrence (13-3, 4-2) led by as many as 10 points in the first half and carried a 39-32 lead into halftime. The Saints' first-year Katie Murray had a team-high 10 points at the break, while senior Mollie Danahy and first-year Jacqueline Murphy each netted 10 in the opening half for the William Smith (8-9, 3-3).

SLU pushed its lead to nine early in the second half, but the Herons didn't back down, whittling away at the deficit until junior Kristen Kush's jumper at the 13:16 mark gave the home team a 50-49 lead. First-year Katie Abramski put the Saints back in the lead with a layup just 15 seconds later.

St. Lawrence clung to a tenuous one-possession lead for most of the next five minutes before Danahy drained a 3-pointer to tie the game 61-61 with 6:18 remaining. First-year Cassie St. Hilaire countered with a 3-pointer at the other end of the floor, launching the Saints on an 11-3 run that stretched their lead to eight, 72-64 with 1:10 left in the game.

In the final minute, first-year Sasha Borenstein sandwiched a pair of triples around a trey by classmate Erin O'Brien that kept William Smith in striking distance, but the Saints went 4-for-6 from the line to keep the Herons at bay. Danahy's layup at the buzzer accounted for the final 3-point margin.

Danahy shared game-high honors with 18 points, while producing a game-high six steals, moving into fifth place on the Herons career list with 250. Kush added a double-double on 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Murphy logged a career-high 17 points and eight boards.

For St. Lawrence, sophomore Erica Spera matched Danahy's 18 points, while corralling a team-high eight rebounds. First-year Kelly Legg chipped in 15 points, while and Murray finished with 11.

William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 29, when the Herons host Clarkson. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. The Saints will play at Hamilton at the same time.