Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team trailed visiting RIT by as many as 13 points in the second half before rallying for a 67-63 Liberty League victory. The Herons used a 15-3 run late in the second half to take their first lead of the night and then went 6-for-8 from the free throw line to secure the win.
 
Sophomore guard Kayla Wheeler's layup three minutes into the second half put the Tigers up 47-34, but William Smith countered with a 10-3 run to make it a 6-point game with 11:53 remaining. RIT junior guard Alex Kelly sank a jumper with 9:08 to go to give the Tigers an 8-point edge. At that point, the Heron rally kicked into high gear.
 
William Smith netted four of the next five baskets to make it a one-possession game with 3:54 remaining. Heron sophomore guard Liz Douglass came up with a steal and senior forward Kristen Kush earned a trip to the free throw line, making both to tie the game for the first time since early in the first half.
 
On the Tigers ensuing possession, Douglass came up with another steal and junior guard Sydni Salvatore made a jumper for a 58-56 lead. At the other end of the floor, RIT made 1-of-2 from the free throw line, but Salvatore answered with the biggest shot of the night. William Smith struggled to find its range from beyond the 3-point arc, misfiring on its first 12 attempts, but lucky No. 13, off Salvatore's hand, was good and gave the Herons a 61-57 lead with 80 seconds left.
 
From there, William Smith's free throw shooting made sure that RIT never had a look at the basket with a chance to tie or reclaim the lead.
 
Douglass produced a team-high 12 points, six rebounds, and a game-high four steals. Kush added 10 points and five boards while Salvatore accounted for nine points. The Herons enjoyed a 37-27 advantage on the glass thanks in part to sophomore guard Jacqueline Murphy's game-high 12 caroms.
 
RIT got a game-high 23 points, a team-high nine rebounds, and a game-high six assists from junior guard Leslie Havens. Junior guard Jackie Hom chipped in 14 points and a six assists and Kelly scored 10 points.
 
The Tigers shot 51.8 percent from the floor and limited the Herons to 37.7 percent shooting, but William Smith made more than twice as many free throws (20-of-22) as RIT attempted (4-of-8).
 
William Smith (10-8, 6-3) will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 3, when the Herons visit conference front-runner St. Lawrence. RIT (8-10, 4-5) is at Clarkson on the same day. Both games are slated to tipoff at 6 p.m.