Box Score POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.—Vassar College shot 48 percent from the floor and committed just six turnovers in an 81- 70 win over William Smith College in the semifinals of the Liberty League Women's Basketball Tournament tonight. The Brewers improve to 21-5 while the Herons fall to 19-7.
 
First-year Melanie Patterson paced William Smith with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and seven rebounds off the bench. Senior guard Erin O'Brien added 16 points and a game-high nine assists. Junior forward Chloe Hayter added 16 points and seven boards. Senior guard Jacqueline Murphy contributed a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Vassar got a game-high 27 points, six rebounds, and a team-high six assists from senior guard Cydni Matsuoka.  The Brewers got double-doubles from senior forward Hannah Senftleber (23 pts, 10 rebs) and sophomore forward Caitlin Drakeley (13 pts, 10 rebs).
 
In the first half, both teams were productive offensively with William Smith shooting 47 percent from the floor and Vassar knocking down 52 percent of its shots. Tied at 30 late in the half, the Herons scored 10 straight points. Patterson accounted for all but two of the outburst, draining a pair of triples during the run. Vassar snapped out of a nearly four-minute scoring drought with back-to-back buckets, but junior forward Molly Breen scored the final basket of the half, sending William Smith into the break with a 42-34 lead.
 
In the second half, the Brewers stayed hot offensively, shooting 46 percent from the floor, but turned up the pressure on the defensive end. The Herons shot just 38 percent after the intermission. Vassar also took care of the basketball, committing no turnovers in the second half.
 
Less than four minutes into the final frame, the Brewers had swung the momentum back in their favor, taking a 50-49 lead on a Matsuoka 3-pointer. Hayter made a jumper to put William Smith back in front for the final time, but a six-point burst by the home team put them in front 56-51 with 12:24 remaining.
 
The Herons trailed by just two, 64-62, following a Patterson trey, but Vassar seized control of the game with seven consecutive points. William Smith got within six twice in the next minute, but got no closer as the Brewers pulled away for their first victory over the Herons in three tries this season.
 
William Smith will now have to wait for the NCAA Championship selection committee to announce this year's tournament field. The Herons, who were sixth in the latest East Region ranking, are long shots to make the 64-team field.